Hate crime charges have been dropped for all but three of the 15 students at Salisbury University in Maryland who police said targeted a man and lured him to an off-campus apartment where they beat him,

Hate crime charges against at least 12 of the 15 Maryland students accused of assaulting a person because of his sexual orientation have been dismissed, court records show. They still face misdemeanor counts.

Twelve of the 15 Salisbury University students accused of attacking and beating a man in Maryland because of his sexual orientation had their hate crime and first-degree assault charges dismissed, court records show.

The three college fraternity students were charged with a hate crime are from Anne Arundel County, court records show.

First-degree assault charges were also dropped, though other charges for all 15 students suspected in the assault remain.

Thirteen of 15 Salisbury students charged in an off-campus ambush case have now had hate crime and felony assault charges filed against them dropped.

Misdemeanor false imprisonment and second-degree assault charges remain for most of the defendants, and many trials are set for late January.

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