CHARGES NOT IN CARDS IN HAZING.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

Ventura County sheriff's investigators decided Monday not to seek misdemeanor criminal complaints against Westlake High School wrestlers who joined in a team hazing ritual that prompted school officials to cancel the season.

The decision came after parents for each of the four victims told officials they did not want to seek prosecution, ending an investigation that began Dec. 18, said Sgt. Robert Sparks.

The Sheriff's Department also won't seek charges without the parents' consent. Sparks said none of the acts was serious enough to qualify as a felony offense of battery, assault or false imprisonment.

``This ends it for the Sheriff's Department,'' said Sparks, the lead investigator.

A parent of a wrestler said some wrestlers were guilty of ``maybe bad behavior, but not a crime'' and that school officials went too far in canceling the season.

Westlake officials canceled the wrestling season last month based on allegations that wrestlers pinned down students and probed their buttocks with the handle of a mop they called ``Pedro,'' sheriff's officials said. The students were fully clothed and no one was hurt.

Two weeks ago, school officials suspended seven wrestlers for a week and banned four of their teammates from participating in sports and all other school activities for a year.

A total of 17 other wrestlers received admonishments for being aware of the hazing and not notifying a responsible adult.