Fraternity dosed women with date-rape drugs based on color-coded hand stamps: police

The University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee's chapter of the fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) is under investigation after four people were dosed with a so-called "date rape" drug.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, police raided the fraternity house on Tuesday. In the wake of a raucous Friday night party at the house, three women and one man were hospitalized with symptoms of extreme intoxication and disorientation.

One student has been arrested in connection with the alleged druggings, which were administered on the basis of color-coded hand stamps. All of the women who were drugged had red X's on the backs of their hands, which were given to them by the party's doorman.

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The one male student who was taken to the hospital had drunk from a drink given to one of the women with a red X.

Police were called three times on Friday night to Sandburg Residence Hall between midnight and 1:33 a.m.. Each time, they found female students unable to stand or walk, all of whom had red Xs on their hands from the same TKE party.

The Journal-Sentinel reported that the police incident reports from Friday night said that emergency personnel were attempting to come to the aid of a second woman at Sandburg who could not walk or speak clearly when they spied a male student vomiting into a garbage can and struggling to stand.

The student told officers that he had also been drinking at the TKE party and had consumed part of a female friend's drink.

At around 1:20 a.m., police arrived at the fraternity house, where they found a large group of students drinking in the basement, all underage. Several "large piles of vomit" and a copious number of empty alcohol containers dotted the lawn and covered the interior floors of the building.

Around this time, the residence hall called police again reporting that a female student was showing signs of having been drugged. Her hand bore a red X, as well.

The UW at Milwaukee TKE chapter was investigated three times in 2013 for sexual assaults, but no charges were ever filed. Facebook postings reportedly discussed the members' tendency to "roofie" women before Friday night's party.

A "roofie" is a powerful dose of narcotics slipped into someone's drink designed to render them unconscious. Originally the word referred to the hypnotic sedative drug Rohypnol, which produces unconsciousness, blackouts and paralysis when mixed with alcohol.

Now a "roofie" can be any chemical compound that renders the victim unconscious and pliable, including substances like the anti-convulsant drug phenobarbital or the chemical Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB).

One of the women who was treated over the weekend reportedly rushed the bar at the party and poured out several drinks before she blacked out. She was ejected by fraternity members and said that she had a "weird feeling and sensation prior to blacking out."

Other party-goers reported seeing vodka shots and other clear drinks that were mixed below the party's bar and appeared cloudy.

One woman reported that female party-goers who the fraternity members found "hot" could spend $8 for an index card that gave them "all access to the house" and unlimited drinks from one of the party's bars.

The University has severed its ties with the TKE chapter until the investigation is complete. Because the fraternity house is considered a private residence, university rules and policies do not apply there.

[hat-tip to Gawker.com]

[NOTE: An earlier draft of this article mentioned phenobarbital as a nausea drug, when in fact it is a powerful anti-convulsant. Do not attempt to treat nausea with phenobarbital. -Ed.]