Lofton’s Law

Photo by Darrin Phegley

In August 2021, packed with dorm room essentials, Lofton Hazelwood left his Henderson home and headed towards Lexington to join his older sister, Preston, at the University of Kentucky. Like many others, the new freshman and agriculture major began his college career in the typical way. He attended classes, explored the campus, made new friends, and was excited to see old ones during the COVID era when the world was starting to reopen. The young man also found a place of belonging within the Greek community by joining the recruitment process for FarmHouse Fraternity.  

Monday, October 18, 2021, began like most. However, this day—which included a morning phone call with his mom, attending class, lunch with Preston, and a call to his friend, Hunter, before attending a meeting at the fraternity that began at 4 p.m. —ended with the Hazelwood family’s worst nightmare. Within two hours of that phone call with Hunter, when he was completely sober, Lofton died of alcohol poisoning. 

“It is a tradition to drink wild turkey 101,” explained Lofton’s heartbroken mother, “They were going serenading to the sorority houses that night. They told him it would give him liquid courage.” Feeling the pressure from the fraternity brothers, Lofton drank what is estimated to have been 18 shots in a short period. “He got there at 4:00, and by 4:45, he was so intoxicated he couldn’t stand. They carried him up to a bedroom and laid him on a bed. Around 5:00, they all left to go serenading,” Tracey described. “About 6:00, a kid came home that lived in the fraternity house and walked past the room and found him in bed.”

A blood alcohol level of .354, resulting from a hazing tradition, took the young man with a bright future and whom his mother describes as “an old soul, so sensitive and loving” from his family.  After being left alone, Lofton died in a bed at the FarmHouse Fraternity house, having been left there by fellow fraternity brothers. The senseless death of their youngest child and only son left the Hazelwood family, Kirk, Tracey, and their remaining children, Logan, Sydney, and Preston, reeling. 

Their grief was further compounded upon the discovery that Kentucky had no laws to penalize those involved in hazing incidents like this. The University of Kentucky immediately and permanently closed FarmHouse Fraternity. However, no one from that night paid any legal consequence for their role in the death of Lofton. 

Lofton’s elementary school alma mater, Holy Name School, thought of a way to start making a change that would help prevent future first-year college students from meeting the same fate as Lofton and the unbearable grief of his family. A former teacher of Lofton’s, Christina Shires, called Tracey, only weeks after Lofton’s passing, asking, “Would it upset you if our bill for KYA this year was about stopping hazing?” Touched by the educator’s devotion to her students, both past and present, Tracey was delighted by the idea. Only two months after Lofton’s untimely death and with his rosary in tote, the students put action to their concept, “Holy Name School proposed the first draft of ‘Lofton’s Law’ at the Kentucky Youth Assembly to implement stricter hazing laws,” a tearful Tracey explains. The law “passed with flying colors” at KYA last year. 

From there, the Hazelwood family, with the support of Dorsey Ridley, Robby Mills, Jonathan Dixon, and their community, launched a campaign that included the ‘Lofton Hazelwood Endowment Fund.’ Yard signs in “Texas Longhorns orange” (Lofton’s favorite team) began showing up in lawns all over Henderson and beyond. ‘Lofton’s Law’ T-shirts were sold and worn by supporters throughout the community. Fueled by a need to give purpose to this tragedy, the road to creating a new law, so sorely needed, was paved to prevent future hazing tragedies. 

In January of this year, ‘Lofton’s Law’ was filed as Senate Bill 9 before going to the Senate Judiciary Committee and finally to the Senate floor, where it was passed. After being heard by the House Judiciary Committee, it went to the House Floor for a vote. On March 27, 2023, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 9 into law, known as ‘Lofton’s Law.” According to the information given for educational purposes to Kentucky schools, the summary of the new law states, “Class D felony of hazing in the first degree and a Class A misdemeanor of hazing in the second degree” for hazing incidents that end in injury or death. The new law also “removes eligibility for the KEES scholarship if convicted of hazing.”

Tracey now travels to Kentucky schools, educating students on the dangers of hazing and the consequences of the new law. A key point she is always sure to focus on is medical amnesty to a person who reports the hazing, which she feels most are not aware of. “Let’s say both of us are underage and are drinking. You get in medical distress, but I’m afraid to report it because I’m underage, or maybe I’m the one who gave you the alcohol. I don’t want to get in trouble. With the medical amnesty law, anyone who calls for help is protected against prosecution.” Had the fraternity brothers on the campus of the University of Kentucky known about this law on that tragic day in October 2021, Lofton may still be alive, enjoying his time as a college student.  

Mrs. Hazelwood fondly reflects on the last time Lofton made a trip home from UK while he was a student there. “He came home because they were harvesting, and he wanted to drive the auger wagon,” she giggles, thinking back. “He sent me a message saying, “Nothing like the smell of freshly cut beans.” Lofton’s lifelong love of the outdoors is channeled so that future students can enjoy the same pleasure as they venture to college in similar fields of study. The family has established a scholarship available to Henderson residents, in Lofton’s memory, given each year. Please follow the Lofton’s Law Facebook page for more information on hazing laws and details on applying for scholarships.