Five more Salisbury University students have been charged in an alleged attack in which a man said he was lured to an apartment and punched, kicked and spat on because of his ‘sexual preferences’ , the Salisbury Police Department said. said Thursday afternoon.

The latest charges follow the arrest of seven students earlier in the week, in an incident that law enforcement is investigating as a hate crime.

The 12 men, aged 18 to 21, were each charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and related hate crimes, police said.

The five people charged Thursday are: Cameron Guy, 18, of Baltimore; Jacob Howard, 19, of Elkridge; Eric Sinclair, 21, of Mount Airy; Patrick Gutierrez, 19, of Salisbury; and Dylan Pietuszka, 20, of Friendship.

THE seven students previously charge are: Zachary Leinemann, 18, of Crofton; Ryder Baker, 20, of Olney; Bennan Aird, 18, of Milton, Delaware; Riley Brister, 20, of Davidsonville; Cruz Cespedes, 19, of Jarrettsville; Dylan Earp, 20, of Gambrills; and Elijah Johnson, 19, of Crofton.

The university said the students were suspended, along with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, of which some of the suspects were members.

Leinemann’s lawyer said the situation had nothing to do with the victim’s sexual orientation.

Attorney James L. Britt said the alleged victim was a man in his 40s who propositioned what he thought was a 16-year-old.

“Once all the facts are revealed, this case will prove to be a misguided attempt to expose someone willing to travel to have sex with a 16-year-old child,” he wrote in a letter. electronic.

The injured man, who is identified by name but not given his age in charging documents, told police he was “lured” by Leinemann to an apartment in the 1400 block of University Terrace in Salisbury on October 15. dating app Grindr, then talked via text and Snapchat.

He said he went to the apartment to have sex, according to charging documents.

“Leinemann identified himself as a 16 year old, which was confirmed by (the victim) via message,” an officer wrote.

Leinemann let the man into the apartment and then waved more than a dozen people out of the bedrooms.

The man was slapped, punched, kicked, spat on, repeatedly hit in the head with a hotplate, shot with a salt gun, doused with water and called names and other derogatory names , according to charging documents.

Police said the man tried several times to flee the apartment, but was knocked to the ground. He said he suffered a broken rib and believed he was targeted because he was gay.

The victim told police she did not tell them about the attack because she had been threatened and feared for her safety.

Police obtained cellphone video of the incident and located the victim by his license plate, police said.

Steven Rakow, an attorney who represents Brister, said his client plans to plead not guilty to all charges.

“Let’s be very clear: This is not a hate crime,” Rakow wrote in an email.

The victim in that case showed up at the apartment where Brister lives “looking to have sex with a 16-year-old,” Rakow wrote.

In Maryland, the age of consent is generally 16. There are stricter rules regarding consent from people in positions of authority, such as a teacher, according to the People’s Law Library.

Court records show the first seven men charged were released on their own recognizance and under electronic monitoring. Leinemann and Brister have private attorneys, Aird and Johnson are represented by a public defender and the others do not have an attorney listed. Their trials or hearings are scheduled for December.

Three of the five men in the second group were also released on their own recognizance with electronic monitoring, according to online court records. Jacob was released without electronic monitoring and is also charged with stalking and kidnapping.

Pietuszka remains in custody and will be subject to a bail review on November 8. Like Jacob, he is also accused of stalking and kidnapping.

None of the second group has an attorney listed in online court records.

In an email message to students, faculty and staff Thursday, university President Carolyn Ringer Lepre said the community must recognize “the harm that hatred and violence have caused our community.”

“Even though these crimes were not perpetrated against another student, the idea that this could happen to anyone – regardless of the circumstances – is appalling,” she wrote.