Madison Brooks.Photo: Madison Brooks Instagram
Louisiana state regulators suspended the liquor license of a popular college bar near the LSU campus following thealleged rape and death of a 19-year-old student.
On Jan. 15, Louisiana native Madison Brooks became highly intoxicated after drinking at Reggie’s Bar on the outskirts of the LSU campus in East Baton Rouge, say authorities.
Kaivon Washington, 18, and a 17-year-old juvenile are charged with one count each of third-degree rape, according to the probable cause affidavits.
Casen Carver, 18, and Everett Lee, 28, are charged with one count each of principal to third-degree rape.
Kaivon Washington, Everett Lee, and Casen Carver.East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office (3)
Third-degree rape is when a victim is considered unable to consent to sex because of intoxication.
Brooks had a blood-alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit when she left the bar in the early hours of Jan. 15, according to the affidavit.
She also tested positive for THC, it says. According to the affidavit, she and the four suspects consumed alcohol at the bar.
Now, the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control has stepped in, issuing an emergency suspension for Reggie’s bar due to “the seriousness of the allegations and the potential threat to public safety,” ATC commissioner Ernest Legier said,The Advocate,WDSUandWAFBreport.
The bar’s license will remain suspended pending a hearing in February, Legier said,The Advocatereports.
An attorney for the bar said it is cooperating with the ATC,The Advocatereports.
‘Alcohol Is Not the Cause of Rape’
On Monday, LSU President William F. Tate IVissued a statementabout Brooks' death and condemning underage drinking at local bars.
“Madison was a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a classmate, and a friend to many of you,” he wrote. “By all accounts, she was an amazing young woman with limitless potential. She should not have been taken from us in this way. What happened to her was evil, and our legal system will parcel out justice.”
Madison Brooks Instagram
The university also needs to address the issue of sexual violence, says Morgan Lamandre, who headsSTAR,a local organization that supports survivors of sexual trauma and works to create social change to end sexual violence.
“We are saddened to hear about the horrific events leading to the tragic death of Madison Brooks,” she said in a statement.
“Alcohol is not the cause of rape,” she said.
“Perpetrators use alcohol as a weapon to facilitate rape. If someone who was not a rapist had taken Madison out of the bar on January 15, 2023, she likely would have been brought somewhere safe – and would still be alive today.”
STARis pushing for legislative policies requiring education about consent and healthy relationships in K-12 schools.
“Collective grief and outrage can produce actionable change. Sexual assault is a preventable tragedy that should never happen, and we will continue to do our part to create a safer community, free of sexual violence.”
‘Bubbly, Loving and Selfless Friend’
Brooks' family is “devastated,” according to a family friend who commented on her death on social media.
A native of Covington, La., she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. In a social media post, the sorority called her a “hero” because her heart and kidneys were donated.
Her sorority sisters called Brooks a “bubbly, loving, and selfless friend” in an Instagram post that has since been deleted.
“She left an indelible mark on our chapter, we cherish our memories together and we will never forget her,” LSU Alpha Phi wrote.
Brooks was majoring in mass communication.
“Our thoughts are with the loved ones of Madison Brooks, an LSU mass communication sophomore who tragically died Sunday,” the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication said in a statement.
Attorneys for Carver, Lee and Washington did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Carver’s attorney Joe Long toldTheAdvocatethat Brooks' death is “a tragedy, but not a crime.”
Attorney Ron Haley, who is representing Washington and Lee, toldWAFBthat this was “absolutely not a rape.”
The ATC and Kris Perret, an attorney for Reggie’s Bar, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
source: people.com
