FBI Investigating Hazing Incidents Against A Georgia Teen

Trenton “Trent” Lehrkamp, a 19-year-old from Georgia, was left near death in an emergency room after extreme hazing at a party. When he was dropped off at the emergency room, he was barely breathing and had a blood alcohol level of 0.464.

A GoFundMe page was set up for Lehrkamp’s medical bills. Erika Keller, the page’s organizer, stated on that page, “Trent spent Tuesday night with a group of people who he thought were his friends. They picked him up from his house, and he expected to have a casual night with his friends. Trent wouldn’t know until it was too late that these were not friends, but vile and abusive perpetrators who would go on to torture, humiliate, and assault him in inhumane, terrifying ways for hours.”

Keller continued, “He was dropped off in front of the ER doors. He was deemed inconclusive to life; only passing 6 breaths per minute. Since that evening, Trent has been on a ventilator in the ICU, battling fevers and a lung infection.”

According to Newsweek, the Glynn County Police Department went to the Southeast Georgia Health Center on March 21 at around 10:40 p.m. after they received reports from the hospital about the teenager’s high level of intoxication.

A statement from the Glynn County Police Department reported that “three juveniles” arrived at the emergency room and said they needed to bring someone in for treatment. After registering their names with ER, they left the hospital prior to the police officers’ arrival.

The Criminal Investigation Division was called in to help move the investigation forward. Although they didn’t see any obvious signs of physical injury, they did notice spray paint on the victim. Lehrkamp was being treated due to “a high level of intoxication, from a mixture of controlled substances and alcohol”, according to the police statement.

On March 22, detectives served a search warrant on a St. Simons Island residence where the incident took place. They collected evidence and served additional search warrants. Detectives have interviewed multiple juveniles who were associated with the situation, and other interviews are ongoing.

The police statement noted that videos that have been posted on social media of Trent allegedly being hurt and unconscious were from a previous hazing incident involving the same victim.

Detectives interviewed Lehrkamp on March 26. “He was alert and conscious and gave a statement about what transpired on the evening of Tuesday, March 21. The victim and his family are fully cooperating with GCPD and the investigation,” the police statement revealed.

Two horrific hazing incidents took place before the one that landed Lehrkamp in the emergency room. PEOPLE reported that the teen came home with a cut over his left eye that required stitches after he’d been with the same teenagers who allegedly hazed him on March 21.

More hazing abuse happened on March 17, according to the teen’s father who said he spent time at the same place as the March 21 incident. He came home "covered in WD-40, vomit, paint, glue, egg yolk, and spray paint," reported First Coast News.

Social media posts were made from those previous hazing incidents. They depicted Lehrkamp covered in spray paint and being hosed down.

On Wednesday, March 29, Glynn County police officers said that charges are not off the table for the parents of the teens who abused Lehrkamp, according to Newsweek.

"We're looking at this investigation from a holistic point of view. Not only the parents that the home this occurred in, but we're also looking into where the alcohol was obtained from, as well as any type of narcotics," Glynn County Police Interim Chief O'Neal Jackson said in a press conference.

The police department said it is working with the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the district attorney's office.

Anyone who may have more information about this incident are asked to contact the Glynn County Police Department by phone or email via the Silent Witness program: 912-264-1333; 911silentwitness@glynncounty-ga.gov.