Iowa frat pledge hospitalized with nearly .500 blood alcohol level

As part of an apparent hazing ritual, an Iowa fraternity pledge consumed so much booze that his blood alcohol level was nearly .500 when, barely breathing, he was admitted early Sunday to a Des Moines hospital. Nate Erickson, a 19-year-old Drake University freshman pledging the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, was found unresponsive at a home used by the frat, according to the below Des Moines Police Department report.