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Police: Victims in photo scandal unsure about charges

Police in State College are continuing to investigate the Pennsylvania State University fraternity accused of posting nude and partly nude pictures on private Facebook pages, but have been unable to bring charges.

Police in State College are continuing to investigate the Pennsylvania State University fraternity accused of posting nude and partly nude pictures on private Facebook pages, but have been unable to bring charges.

Investigators have not been able to identify a woman in one of the photos who appears unconscious in a bedroom of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity house, Police Chief Tom King said Thursday.

"Our main focus right now is keeping it active and trying to identify the one person in the photo," King said.

Also, several of the victims whom police have interviewed are unsure about pursuing charges, King said. Even if they do, he added, police are not sure they can determine who posted the photos.

Penn State this week announced it had shut down the fraternity for three years after its investigation showed evidence of hazing, drug use, underage drinking, and sexual harassment by some members.

Police began investigating after a former fraternity member, James Vivenzio, reported the invitation-only Facebook pages, which showed pictures of women who appeared to be unconscious or unaware they were being photographed.

Vivenzio, 21, of Great Falls, Va., through a lawyer on Thursday called the university's action "a small step toward what needs to be done to stop the blatantly abusive practices at KDR that I experienced firsthand. . . ."

"I am pleased that Penn State is finally taking seriously the documented allegations of hazing and other misconduct at KDR that I first brought to the attention of university officials and then to the attention of local police," said Vivenzio, who no longer attends Penn State, according to his attorney, Aaron J. Freiwald.

The fraternity's national office said it respected the university's decision and would try to reopen the fraternity after the three years.

It is unclear what will happen to the house, but the suspension means Kappa Delta Rho cannot participate in any school activities or display fraternity colors.