No charges recommended in Arizona high school wrestling hazing allegations

"The detective leading the case called to tell me that after two years, they didn't really find anything and are closing the case," Carson Fortenberry, a former Liberty wrestler who witnessed hazing take place on the team, said. "I am genuinely shocked that after all this time and all the students who came forward, they're saying they found nothing."

Police spokesperson Shelly Montes said the department was unable to provide public comment until all the "affected families" were notified.

The decision follows multiple prior closures of the same case by Peoria police and comes as the coach already was reinstated to his position.

In August 2025, former wrestlers first went public with the Arizona Republic to describe a pervasive culture of sexual violence inside the decorated wrestling program. Former wrestlers said coach Eric Brenton witnessed the sexual violence but did not intervene. Internal school records showed Brenton acknowledged hazing took place, referring to it in one text message to a student as a "rite of passage."

Peoria police opened and closed the case twice before launching a third investigation after a former wrestler requested to speak with the special victim unit. In their initial review, officers dismissed the conduct as "horseplay" and closed the case less than a week after it was opened without interviewing the students who had reported the hazing.

The investigation involved an extensive police report that included descriptions of video evidence added to the case file in October 2025. In one documented incident recorded during an out-of-town trip, police described a student pulling off another student's pants as other students pushed him onto a bed; the student could be heard saying, "That was sexual assault."

Coach reinstated amid police investigation

The Peoria Unified School District's governing board voted 3-2 in January to reinstate Brenton to his coaching and teaching positions — a move board members took against the advice of their own attorney, who urged them to wait until investigations were complete. Laura Dunn, a nationally recognized victims' rights attorney, called the reinstatement "highly unusual" and said it appeared to be "an attempt to put a finger on the scale in favor of the employee."

At least five former wrestlers have filed legal notices of claim against the district and named Brenton as a prospective defendant, seeking a combined $26 million in damages. Their accounts describe a years-long culture of sexual assault that included wrestlers forcibly restraining and assaulting teammates. Former players said that in certain cases, Brenton retaliated against players who spoke out about the situation.

Brenton did not respond to a request for comment. A cease-and-desist letter sent to the parents of former wrestlers on his behalf in October 2024 called the allegations fabricated.

The decision comes as Peoria Unified faces scrutiny in a separate criminal case. Two former Centennial High School teachers, Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka, are the subjects of a criminal investigation into alleged misconduct involving students. In that case, Peoria police have recommended charges against both women. The parallel cases have intensified questions about how the district identifies and responds to misconduct by staff.

In the Liberty case, the district never opened a Title IX investigation into the claims — a step that national legal experts have said may violate federal law. Peoria Unified spokesperson Danielle Airey has maintained the district "takes seriously its Title IX obligations" but has said officials concluded a formal investigation was not appropriate.

The Arizona State Board of Education opened a separate investigation into Brenton's professional conduct in February 2025. A spokesperson for the board said Arizona statues prohibit them from commenting on the status or outcome of the investigation.