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Fraternity member pleads guilty to alcohol charge stemming from student's drowning

A former Pi Kappa Alpha member pleaded guilty Friday to an alcohol-related charge in connection with the April 4 drowning of 19-year-old fraternity pledge Brent Johnson.

Bjorn Eric Westlund, 21, admitted to officials that he gave alcohol to Johnson the night Johnson's canoe capsized in Cedar Lake, which resulted in his death.

Westlund was charged with a $200 fine in addition to court costs and was not sentenced to any jail time.

Charges against Westlund were filed in late May by Jackson County State's Attorney Michael Wepsiec for the alleged delivery of alcohol to Johnson shortly before Johnson drowned at a fraternity-related camping trip.

Wepsiec was not available to comment on the guilty plea made by Westlund.

A Jackson County Coroner's jury ruled in late May that Johnson's death was accidental. In addition, the toxicology reports performed on Johnson showed a blood alcohol level of .109 percent.

No other drugs were found in Johnson's system.

Prior to Westlund's plea, Katherine Sermersheim, director of SIUC Student Development, found the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, also known as the Pikes, guilty of eight alcohol and risk management violations tied to the camping trip.

The Pikes were permanently banned from the University. This was the first time a fraternity has been permanently removed from the University in school history.