Glynn County police say investigation into house party incident that left 19-year-old in ICU continues; no charges yet

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The Glynn County Police Department (GCPD) said the investigation into an incident at a house party on St. Simons Island last week that left a young man in hospital is is suing, but it’s unclear now if anyone will face charges.

“If a picture could say 1,000 words, then the 1,000 words that picture would say would be, this is a horrible incident that happened, what this victim experienced. We cannot rush to judge. We have to take our time on this and that’s what we’re doing,” GCPD Acting Chief O’Neal Jackson said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The teenage victim was in an intensive care unit following the incident on March 21, but has since been released, his family said.

News4JAX reported the incident as an apparent “hazing” incident, but Jackson said what happened was not permissible under Georgia law because it did not involve a public school event or a school-related organization.

“Our victim was an adult, as you know, the individuals involved in this case, the other individuals involved in this case are minors. So it wouldn’t fit that definition,” Jackson said.

MORE: Father of alleged Georgia hazing victim tells investigators his son was just trying to fit in

According to GCPD, the incident began at a house party on Saint-Simons Island on Tuesday evening. At some point that night, 19-year-old Trenton Lehrkamp was brought to a hospital emergency room by three other teenagers who left before police arrived. A report said Lehrkamp’s clothes were soaked in urine, he had spray paint all over him, and a small bruise on his shoulder.

Jackson said police investigated two separate incidents involving Lehrkamp. In one incident, he was seen in a photo slumped in a chair and another involved a video that showed him being doused with a garden hose and identified everyone involved. All 11 are under 18 and attend Glynn Academy, Jackson said.

“To date, investigators from the Glynn County Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations continue to review social media posts that were provided to the office. While we appreciate the information provided by this source, some misinformation has also spread through this medium, some of which includes the misidentification of individuals who were not involved in this incident, which has affected many families here in our premises. community,” Jackson said.

Jackson said it’s possible the owners of the home where the party took place could be charged, as well as anyone involved in supplying alcohol or drugs to teens. Jackson said it was unclear if a relative was home at the time of the incidents.

According to Lehrkamp’s father, it was not the first time the teenager had gone to a house party on the island and been injured.

A report details how, on March 17, Lehrkamp returned home covered in WD-40, vomit, paint, glue, egg and spray paint.

In the report, the father said the reason his son kept going to house parties was because he thought he was accepted by these people and they cared about him. He added that his son hung out with the teenagers who were younger than him because he wanted to fit in.

Jackson read a statement provided by the Lehrkamp family on Wednesday afternoon.

“Trent is in transition. He is beginning the next stage of his care and we ask that you continue to pray for Trent. The family would like to state that they are cooperating fully with this investigation and the efforts of all law enforcement officers. They want justice for Trent, and hopefully we can prevent this from happening to anyone else in the future,” Jackson said.

Jackson said society should have zero tolerance for bullying and mistreating others, adding that there were many young people aware of both incidents and no one had reported them.

“So I would ask people not to be afraid to speak up. This incident might not even have been reported if the victim had not ended up in hospital, which is really sad,” he said.

Currently, no criminal charges are on the table, but community members hope that will change.

“Everyone knows what is right and everyone knows what is wrong. I feel like things are going to keep slipping if we don’t do something about it,” said Brunswick resident Ajoria Riggs.

Hundreds of people gathered outside a Glynn County hospital on Monday to show their support for Lehrkamp.