Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – The father of a 16-year-old male Myrtle Beach High School student is suing Allied Universal Security, claiming one of the company’s security officers tried to frame his son for making a bomb threat against the campus.
The incident happened in late March. According to Horry County Schools, Coty Allen Kennedy, 20, was arrested on March 24 after he confessed to fabricating the hoax threat and presenting it to the school administration, reports WPDE. The officer was charged with making a bomb threat and conspiring to threat.
According to Craig Cook’s lawsuit, the Myrtle Beach Police Department said Kennedy wrote a note threatening to “Blow up the School” and placed it on the floor near his son, reports WRAL.
Cook goes on to allege that his son was questioned by school administrators about the note for more than an hour without his parents being present. The lawsuit claims his son was repeatedly urged to confess to making the threat, reports WMBF.
Cook accuses Allied Universal Security of negligent hiring, failing to properly train Kennedy, and failing to properly supervise him. The lawsuit claims Kennedy was known to engage in “inappropriate” behavior with students, such as vaping in the restroom, reports WMBF.
Kennedy was previously employed by Phoenix Security Solutions but was terminated in May 2022, reports WRAL.
