8 charged in paint vandalism of Pike house

Blue squiggles covered much of the 10-by-10-foot room known as the Pikes Only room on Oct. 23.

In an alleged retaliation for a goat theft, police said, members of the Sigma Chi fraternity snuck into into the Pi Kappa Alpha Lodge and spray painted the walls.

Apart from the squiggles, what could be made out were profanity and lewd drawings, said Pike member Cody Farrow, who reported the graffiti Oct. 24. Cleaning off the graffiti with scouring pads and acid paint removers took about two days, he said.

Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor Morley Swingle charged one Southeast Missouri State University student with class B misdemeanor property damage and eight other students with class B misdemeanor trespassing and property damage.

Sigma Chi members charged were Brett A. Fay, 19, Geoffrey J. Peterson, 18, Brian Beckring, 18, all of Towers Complex, and Steven M. Taylor, 20, and Karl F. Gokenbach, 22, both of Dearmont Hall. Suspects not associated with the fraternity are Nathaniel W. Mathes, 18, of Dearmont Hall, and Kevin M. Weber, 19, and Ryan A. Zust, 18, both of Towers Complex.

Patrick J. Betley, 18, who was also charged, no longer attends the university and is no longer an active Sigma Chi member, said Sigma Chi recruitment chairman Tony Trotter.

The university's Judicial Affairs Office, which handles university discipline, conducted interviews with Fay and Betley, Cape Girardeau police Cpl. Don Perry wrote in a sworn affidavit. The two told university staff that Gokenbach encouraged the pledge class to do something for their goat.

Fay said the group loaded into Taylor's vehicle and bought the spray paint at Kmart before they went to the lodge, Perry wrote. They stated that Gokenbach was not at the incident, which is why he was charged only with property damage.

The retaliation allegedly stemmed from an Oct. 21 incident when Sigma Chi members discovered that Sharon, their Alpine Nubian goat, disappeared from their property on North Frederick Street. She was found at the La Croix Animal Hospital.

Prosecutors charged one Pike member with misdemeanor trespassing and stealing and two others with misdemeanor stealing.

Trotter declined to comment on the retaliation charges.

Betley and Beckring were charged Nov. 7 and appear in court on Jan. 9. The remaining suspects were charged Tuesday and appear on Jan. 12.

If convicted, they face up to six months in jail on each count and up to a $500 fine.

jmetelski@semissourian.com