A fraternity member charged in connection with the death of Patrick Kycia pleaded guilty Wednesday to a reduced charge and agreed to testify against his co-defendants.
Jason John Morris, 26, said he bought alcohol for minors in the past but not the night Kycia attended a party at the Phi Sigma Kappa house.
Morris, who lives at the Moorhead fraternity house at 611 10th St. S., will testify against fellow fraternity members if any of the other eight cases of providing alcohol to minors go to trial.
Kycia, a Minnesota State University Moorhead sophomore, drowned in the Red River in September with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.174 percent.
He was last seen drinking at the Phi Sigma Kappa house on Sept. 22.
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Morris pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor procuring alcohol to minors, stating he bought alcohol that was served to minors at parties between Aug. 15 and Sept. 22.
Clay County District Judge Barbara Hanson dismissed a felony charge of selling liquor to a minor resulting in death and a gross misdemeanor charge of selling alcohol without a license, per a plea agreement.
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Morris will pay a $1,000 fine and serve unsupervised probation.
Clay County Attorney Lisa Borgen said the sentence is a fair resolution because Morris did not organize the party Kycia attended.
Morris testified he was at Mick's Office in Moorhead and arrived at the fraternity house at 12:37 a.m. to find a party going on in the basement.
Borgen said two other defendants may accept similar plea agreements next week.
Morris testified Wednesday about the involvement of the other eight fraternity members facing similar charges.
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Between Aug. 15 and Kycia's death, the fraternity hosted five to seven parties, Morris said. The fraternity often charged admission or sold wrist bands and served alcohol in the basement, he said.
Fraternity members knew they were serving alcohol to partygoers under 21, Morris said.
During the hearing, Morris expressed sympathy to Kycia's family and said he accepts responsibility for his conduct.
Morris testified he saw Kycia at the party but did not see him drinking alcohol.
His attorney, Dennis Fisher, said Morris cooperated with investigators and tried on his own to piece together what happened to Kycia that night.
In addition to the fine, Morris received a 180-day jail sentence that was stayed as long as he follows conditions of probation, including no alcohol-related violations.
Moorhead city officials revoked a rental license for the fraternity house after the charges were filed. Morris can continue living there because his father, Randy Morris, owns the house.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
