High-school basketball players charged

CARMEL, Ind. —  Four former Carmel High School basketball players have received criminal charges following hazing incidents earlier this year.

In a statement made by Hamilton Co. Prosecutor Sonia Leerkamp, Oscar Falodun,
Brandon Hoge and Robert Kitzinger all were charged with Class A and B misdemeanors of battery and criminal recklessness for hazing of freshmen team members on buses and in locker rooms during the season.

Additionally, Scott Laskowski, son of former IU basketball player John Laskowski, was charged with Class B misdemeanors of criminal recklessness.

The charges came after months of investigations and whispers of sexual assault charges, none of which came to fruition.

“The investigation has to be based on fact, not rumor and innuendo,” Leerkamp said.

The case was presented before a grand jury before the indictments. The players are expected to turn themselves in at the Hamilton County jail.

Leerkamp declined to share details of the incidents to avoid further harm to the victims.

“Does a victim ask to be violated?” Leerkamp said. “These are inappropriate things to take into consideration.”

— Carrie Schedler