Breaking News: Fraternity Member Arrested and Charged with Sexual Assault

Ethan Hirsch, 19, was arrested on Oct. 4 with charges of sexually assaulting a woman. Hirsch was a CU Boulder student and a member of the fraternity Kappa Sigma, which was expelled from the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and has no local affiliations, according to their website.

The victim told police that the incident occurred at approximately 2 a.m after she and a friend had returned to a Kappa Sigma annex after going to Sigma Nu, another fraternity. 

The victim had reportedly been acquainted with Hirsch from high school and told her friend, “I am not hooking up with him, and I do not want to,” according to the affidavit. 

The affidavit describes the events that transpired, beginning with Hirsch taking the victim reluctantly on a house tour, finding herself in his room, and being nonconsensually pinned down and assaulted. 

The victim alledged that she had cloudy recollections of the night, telling detectives that “she did remember feeling a hand being placed around her neck, which she demonstrated with her own hand, and being thrown down and later waking up in the morning, feeling if only a few seconds had passed between the time, she felt she was thrown and waking up.” 

The arrest document notes that several pink bruises were found on the shoulder of the victim, where she had claimed to have been pinned down by Hirsch. Abrasions were also found on the woman’s back, lips, thighs, and lower legs throughout the sexual assault examination. 

 
At a recent town hall meeting of the Sexual Misconduct Task Force, the University stated that “​​CU Boulder is committed to continuously improving our prevention and education efforts and our response resources to meet the needs of our campus community.” 

Hirsch has posted a $1,000 cash option on his $10,000 secured bond, according to online court records.

The Bold has reached out to Kappa Sigma for comment. 

This is a developing story and will be monitored and updated as more information from the university and the CU Police Department is released. 

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, please visit the link here to explore your options regarding medical care, reporting, support, and other resources.