At least one Treetops Resort security member told police that he was instructed by a hotel supervisor to “overlook some of the behavior,” and others were told to expect damages from members of the University of Michigan fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu and the sorority Sigma Delta Tau during a destructive weekend in January.
That information, obtained by The Ann Arbor News from a Michigan State Police incident report, contradicts what Treetops’ lawyer Paul Dillon said earlier in the week after the resort announced its plans to file a civil suit against several members of the fraternity.
“The resort categorically denies telling anyone to look away or instructing security to allow (the students) to damage anything,” Dillon said in an interview with The Ann Arbor News.
“It’s absolutely untrue, and I think that’s borne out in the facts. They called the police and had them removed.”
Treetops security member Chester Pszczolkowski said in an interview with MSP that his security supervisor Jerry Gunter pulled him into an office before a Saturday morning shift—the morning after the group arrived—and told him that “there would be rowdy behavior from the fraternity guests,” and Pszczolkowski was instructed to overlook some of the behavior.
“The fraternity had placed a large security deposit and damage was expected during their stay,” the police report said.
“Pszczolkowski was instructed to only focus on the safety of the guests, including physical altercations and medical emergencies. Gunter had told Pszczolkowski not to freak out over damages because James Vanderveer (Treetops director of rooms) was going to ask the fraternity for another deposit (and)…the damage was not a concern.”