Update: This story was updated Oct. 13 at 1:22 p.m. to reflect the fact that on Aug. 25 a Lafayette County Grand Jury returned a no true bill in the case against Wyatt Johnson, Cole Goretski, Christian Parten and Walker Holden. As a result, the charges against the four men were dropped and expunged from their records.
Seven members of The University of Mississippi’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity have been charged with felony cyberstalking. Mississippi law defines felony cyberstalking as the use of electronic mail or other electronic communication to threaten, terrify or harass. If found guilty, the individuals could face up to two years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.
The individuals were arrested and booked on Dec. 3 at the Lafayette County Detention Center, according to a press release from the Oxford Police Department.
Wyatt Johnson, Walker Holden, Peyton Newcomb, Nicholas Reynolds, Miles Baker, Cole Gorteski and Christian Parten (pictured below left to right) are accused of sending harassing messages to a former fraternity member and Ole Miss student who reported hazing by the fraternity in the fall, according to Oxford police and reporting by the Clarion Ledger.
Bond was set at $5,000 each by a Lafayette County Justice Court judge. All seven individuals have since posted bond and been released.
The fraternity was suspended in November until May 2025 due to hazing violations. The fraternity had previously been on interim suspension as a result of hazing violations in October 2020, but was subject to more severe punishment after another hazing incident in 2021.
The most recent hazing incident, which led to the fraternity’s suspension, was reported by the individual that the seven members are accused of cyberstalking. This individual also had bleach sprayed in his mouth during the October 2020 hazing incident, according to the Clarion Ledger.
The individuals are scheduled to appear before the Lafayette County Circuit Court on Feb. 28.
