SACRAMENTO, June 9 (UPI) -- Two high school students in Dixon, Calif., have been arrested in connection with alleged hazing of incoming freshman.
Both students are incoming seniors. They were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of hazing and a conspiracy charge, and were released into the custody of their parents., the Sacramento Bee reported.
The incident comes three years after another alleged hazing in Dixon that inspired tougher state laws on the ritual, which many see as a rite of passage in high school, the newspaper said.
Dixon Police Chief Don Mort said the incident took place on the eighth-grade graduation day at a nearby middle school. The eighth-graders were reportedly rounded up, and some were taken to a female student's home, where the younger students were spanked with Whiffle Ball bats.
The incident has made many area parents angry.
"It was pretty sick," said Amy Prietti, whose 14-year-old daughter was hazed. "Someone needs to be held responsible."
