Stewart Kitchen: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Stewart Kitchen

Stewart Kitchen. (Columbus Police)

A drum major instructor at Ohio State University is accused of kidnapping and raping a student, police say.

Christopher Stewart Kitchen, 28, was arrested April 29 on two felony charges, according to court records. Kitchen, 28, was formerly a member of Ohio State’s famous marching band, “The Best Damn Band in the Land,” and was hired by the university as an instructor in 2014, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Kitchen, who goes by his middle name, graduated from the university in 2008. He was voted as “Most Inspirational Bandperson” in 2007, the band’s highest honor.

The band has come under fire recently after an internal investigation found a “sexualized culture” among its members, leading to the band leader’s firing.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. Police Say He Invited an Undergraduate Student For Drinks & Then Raped Her

Stewart Kitchen, Christopher Stewart Kitchen, Stewart Kitchen Ohio State band

Stewart Kitchen. (Facebook)

Police say in court documents that Kitchen invited an undergraduate student out for drinks on April 15 at about 11 a.m. He then brought her back to his home near the university, the Columbus Dispatch reports. According to the Dispatch, Kitchen refused her numerous requests for him to take her home and then raped her in his bedroom at about 3 a.m.

Kitchen had his bail set at $500,000 after appearing in court, according to the Dispatch.

His attorney, Tom Hayes, told the newspaper that Kitchen knew about the police investigation and hired him Tuesday. He turned himself in to police after he was charged.


2. He Has Been Placed on Paid Leave From His Job

Stewart Kitchen while a drum major in 2007. (Getty)

Stewart Kitchen while a drum major in 2007. (Getty)

Kitchen was placed on paid leave from his job as a drum major instructor, the university says:

The university is deeply concerned to learn of criminal allegations against one of our employees of kidnapping and sexual assault. Upon being informed of these allegations by the Columbus Division of Police on April 23, the university moved quickly to place the employee on administrative leave and launched its own internal investigation in accordance with university policy.


3. He Was the Head Drum Major During His Time in the Band

Drum major Stewart Kitchen leads golf legend Jack Nicklaus onto the field to "dot the i" in 2006. (Getty)

Drum major Stewart Kitchen leads golf legend Jack Nicklaus onto the field to “dot the i” in 2006. (Getty)

Kitchen was hired as a drum major instructor before the 2014 football season, according to an announcement from the university. He was the first person to hold the position.

A Kenton, Ohio native, Kitchen was the band’s head drum major during the 2006 and 2007 season, the university said:

During his time as drum major, Kitchen was given the honor of leading Jack Nicklaus to the top of the “i” in Script Ohio during his honorary “i” dot. He has been teaching private drum major lessons since 2010, is the Lead Mace and Baton Instructor for the Bands of America National Drum Major Institute, and the drum major for the Camp Chase Fifes and Drums. Congratulations, Stewart!


4. He Sold His Band Items to Help His Mother Fight Cancer

Stewart Kitchen in 2008. (Getty)

Stewart Kitchen in 2008. (Getty)

Kitchen was featured in a February 2015 article in the Columbus Dispatch after he sold his band items to help his mother’s fight against cancer.

“I wanted to do something for my mother and spread awareness,” Kitchen told the Dispatch. “It really wasn’t a difficult decision to make.”

He sold his breastplate and band hat, as well as a sweater donated by a friend, and raised more than $2,000.


5. There Have Been at Least 3 Sexual Assaults in the Band Since 2011

(Getty)

(Getty)

According to the Columbus Dispatch, an internal investigation into the band by the university found sexual hazing and other issues, leading to the firing of the band’s director, Jonathan Waters. The investigation also found that there were at least three sexual assaults involving the band since 2011.

The report found numerous incidents of sexualized hazing, according to the Huffington Post.

According to the report, the marching band required a physical challenge of new members, “to either place a condom on a banana, place a banana in his or her mouth and place a condom on it, or place a banana between a graduate assistant’s legs and place a condom on the banana.”

The band also had sexual nicknames for many of its members, including: Thumper, given to a female member who had to stomp her foot while pretending to orgasm, and Jewoobs, which was given to a Jewish student with large breasts who had to rub her chest together with a female nicknamed Tiggles.