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.

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,

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.

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