Former school security officer at Rock Hill High School charged in student sex case
A security guard who worked for an independent agency and was assigned to Rock Hill High School has been charged with a sex crime involving a student, according to an arrest warrant, the York County Sheriff, and school district officials.
Johnathan Anthony Baskin, 32, was arrested Tuesday by York County Sheriff’s Office deputies and charged with sexual battery with a student age 16 or 17, sheriff’s office jail records, and an arrest warrant obtained by The Herald, show.
Baskin had worked for Allied Universal Security, according to a Rock Hill schools statement sent to parents. He had been assigned to Rock Hill High School before an alleged incident was reported on Sept. 14, sheriff’s office spokesman Trent Faris said. Baskin did not return to the school after the allegations were reported and an investigation began, according to the sheriff’s office.
The alleged offense did not happen at school, according to the arrest warrant.
Baskin was not a deputy working as a school resource officer. Resource officers come from the sheriff’s office. However, the sheriff’s office does have a resource officer assigned to Rock Hill High School.
Baskin also was not a district employee, officials said.
The Allied Universal Security company has officers who work under contract at many of the district campuses, the district’s Web site shows. Efforts Wednesday and Thursday to reach Allied Universal Security were unsuccessful.
The charge
Deputies were contacted in September, according to a sheriff’s office incident report.
The investigation by the sheriff’s office Special Victims Unit led to the charge, Faris said. The investigation remains ongoing.
The warrant alleges the crime happened sometime between late May and late July.
“The defendant knew the student from a school where he worked as a certified armed security officer,” the warrant states.
The charge against Baskin is a felony, South Carolina law states.
School district sends message to families
The school district sent a message to Rock Hill High School families Tuesday that advised them about what happened.
The statement said:
“Dear Rock Hill High School Family,
“Today we learned York County Sheriff’s Office took a former Allied Universal Security Officer into custody stemming from an incident that allegedly happened outside of school hours and was reported to a school administrator.
“We want to assure you we take every allegation extremely seriously and work collaboratively through all investigations. When this allegation was reported to our school officials, we did not hesitate to contact York County Sheriff’s Office to investigate immediately.
“The district is committed to the safety of our students and will fully cooperate in any instance of law enforcement investigations. However, we cannot comment any further on this particular incident as it is still pending court proceedings.
“We will continue to do everything we can to foster a safe learning environment and look toward our families as partners on this front. Please continue to talk to your student about our district’s “See Something, Say Something” initiative and encourage them to reach out to a trusted adult on campus at any time as part of our safety program.”
What happens now?
Baskin was given a $5,000 bond by a York County magistrate after a first appearance in court, records show. Baskin was released on bail Wednesday, Faris said.
This story was originally published October 5, 2023 at 4:42 PM.
