Deputies: Private security guard charged with sex crime against SC student

ROCK HILL, S.C. — An Allied Universal security guard is accused of a sex crime against a student at the high school he was assigned to, investigators say.

The charge stems from another student reporting a separate incident involving the same guard. According to the police report, the Rock Hill High School student told her mom she had gotten a message on Instagram from Johnathan Anthony. She said he asked her “to come to his house and model for him,” telling her he was a photographer.

The police report says Johnathan Anthony Baskin, 31, works as a security guard for Allied Universal. According to an arrest warrant, the company assigned him to work as a “certified armed security officer” at Rock Hill High.

The student said on Sept. 14, Baskin stopped at her school and asked her if she knew he was the one who messaged her. She said he then asked her “not to tell anyone, which made her uncomfortable,” the incident report said.

The reporting student is the fourth at the school to have received messages from Baskin, investigators said. While she didn’t feel comfortable sharing the names of her fellow students, she did share her Instagram handle with deputies. The police report says those incidents happened from at least May 15 until Sept. 14.

When the student talked to a deputy about what happened, she told the deputy she knew of two other girls who had gone to Baskin’s home. She said one of the two girls “had stated that they engaged in sexual activities with him.”

The student also said another girl was called to the principal’s office to give a statement about what happened.

Baskin has been charged with sexual battery in connection to the incident reported at his home. The arrest warrant for that charge says the victim was a 17-year-old Rock Hill High School student, and the incident happened between May 23 and July 31.

The warrant said Baskin knew the student from school. However, authorities say he is not a law enforcement officer or a school resource officer.

Unsettling news

Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke with a mother who reported Baskin to the police.

Treasure Robertson claims Baskin tried to get her daughter to go to his house.

The charges against Baskin have nothing to do with Robertson’s daughter.

However, what happened to Robertson’s daughter set off the investigation.

The mom said it started with an unsettling request on Instagram.

“While she was at school, she told me that he had approached her about some Instagram messages that he had sent her over the summer,” Robertson said. “He was trying to recruit her to come take pictures or model for him.”

Robertson said she reported Baskin to the police last month, which began the investigation and inevitably, his arrest.

“She told me she was sitting with a group of girls, and they had all got the same messages,” Robertson said.

Investigators said Robertson’s daughter was the fourth student to receive a message from Baskin.

Robertson is hoping more girls will come forward like her daughter did.

“Thank God she came to me and let me know immediately or he would still be preying on these girls,” Robertson said.

Baskin was given a $5,000 bond, which was posted on Wednesday. Allied Universal said Baskin was removed from service when they learned about the allegations against him.

“We are shocked and disheartened to learn of the incident,” the company said in a statement. “Upon learning of the allegations, the former employee was immediately removed from service. The reported behavior is wholly inconsistent with our values and is not representative of our dedicated team members who work to keep communities safe.

“Because we value safety and respect privacy, we do not provide employment details when asked by the media or members of the public. We are cooperating with local authorities as they conduct their investigation. All further questions should be referred to the York County Sheriffs department.”

A source shared the following message that has been sent to families at Rock Hill High School:

“Dear Rock Hill High School Family,

“Today we learned that 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.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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