Trent Lehrkamp hazing: Georgia teen, 19, was tortured twice before by same boys that left him in ICU
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion is advised.
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GLYNN COUNTY, GEORGIA: Trent Lehrkamp, a 19-year-old who was hospitalized in ICU on March 21 after being hosed down, taped to a chair and force-fed alcohol and other substances during a spring break house party at Saint Simon's Island, was tortured and humiliated twice by the same attackers before. Trent's father Mark told officers that Trent “never returns home normal” and that on March 17, “Trent came home [from the same address where the party took place] covered in WD-40, vomit, paint, glue, egg yolk, and spray paint.”
According to DailyMail, Mark stated that Trent "seemed high or drunk," and two weeks prior he had to take Trent to the "emergency room because he came home with a severe laceration above his left eye that required stitches." The incident comes after Adriana Kuch's death on February 3, 2023, who had experienced a similar assault and was harassed by classmates. She died by suicide after a 20-second clip of her being bullied surfaced on the internet on February 1, 2023. Even in Trent's incident, pictures were revealed on social media. Graphic images posted on Facebook show him unconscious while some were giving the middle finger to the camera, as per CBS News.
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Interim Glynn County Police Chief O'Neal Jackson said that 11 juveniles were involved in the water hosing and nine juveniles in the chair incident. Some juveniles were involved in both incidents.
No arrests so far...
More than a week later with no arrests, Interim Glynn County Police Chief O'Neal Jackson said in a news conference on Wednesday, March 29, as stated by CBS News, "There were lots of juveniles at these incidents and nothing was spoken while it was occurring," and said the hazing might have never been reported if the "victim didn't end up in the hospital." And added that the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are assisting with the investigation but asked the public "not to rush to judgment."
Details of Trent Lehrkamp's incident
When Trent was picked up from his house on the evening of March 21, he expected to have a "casual night out with friends." However, the night out landed him in the hospital. Trent's friend Michael Sullins said he'd been beaten, bullied, had acid poured down his throat, peed on, and been force-fed vodka, reports 11Alive.
Following the incident, a Snapchat photo went viral showing the signs of abuse. According to CBS News, his blood alcohol level was at 0.464. The legal BAL in Georgia is 0.08. Trent was barely breathing and was extremely intoxicated when he was dropped off at the Southeast Georgia Health Center by three boys.
Trent is now out of ICU, informed Jackson. A statement from Lehrkamp's family, read by Jackson, said, "Trent is transitioning. He's beginning the next step of his care, and we ask that you continue to pray for Trent. The family would like to state that they're in full cooperation with this investigation and the efforts of all the law enforcement officers. They want justice for Trent."
The Glynn County Police Department is asking anyone with information to contact them via phone or email: 912-264-1333 or 911silentwitness@glynncounty-ga.gov.