SPARTANBURG — After lawmakers dropped charges against a then-middle school guidance counselor, he demanded an apology.

Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office in late June arrested and charged Joy Allen, who works at Clifdale Middle School, after authorities say she failed to share reports of a sexual assault by a student. Previously on April 24, Allen told deputies he believed he had done nothing wrong.

sheriff’s office He accused Allen of failing to report child abuse or neglect; This misdemeanor may carry a fine of up to $500 or up to six months in jail.

Shortly after, it dropped the charge. But a now-deleted Facebook post from the sheriff’s office about the incident continued to appear for weeks. He never issued a correction and did not notify reporters who were sent a press release about Allen’s arrest on June 26.

Allen demanded an apology and public retraction. He never got it. He’s now suing the sheriff’s office, alleging negligence and defamation. His civil lawyer, Gedney HoweHe said the case had affected him “hugely”.

“Our lawsuit is filed almost solely because (the sheriff’s office) did not apologize. “That’s all Allen wanted in the first place,” Howe said. “(The sheriff’s office) muddied his name and was asking them to go ahead and clean it up because it was their fault, and they wouldn’t do that, they still haven’t.”

Lt. Kevin Bobo declined to comment on the case to The Post and Courier, citing ongoing litigation.

Howe said Spartanburg County School District 3 stood by him throughout the case and did not fire Allen. But he quit due to the stress of the case and the “negative feedback”.

District 3 spokesman Taggart Houck did not respond to a message seeking comment on Nov. 4.

Howe called the lawsuit “nonsense,” and the lawsuit, filed Oct. 28 in Spartanburg County court, alleged that the accusation against Allen “was made without a proper investigation of the situation.” He said this effectively ended his career.

“What’s really important for Joy is that she understands that what people (the sheriff’s office) are saying about her is not true and that she is not covering up a sexual assault,” Howe said. “Everyone thinks he did it because the sheriff’s department never said they were at fault, and that’s simply not true.”

Assistant Solicitor Amy Goulding said the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office has received no charges against Allen from law enforcement.

The suit also alleges that Allen suffered harm to his personal and professional relationships, embarrassment and humiliation, emotional distress, mental anguish and irreparable damage to his reputation.

This isn’t the first time the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office has faced allegations of arresting the wrong person.

Earlier this year, Sheriff Chuck Wright issues public apology After a man was falsely accused during a drug roundup.

“I owe a man a sincere apology because we made a mistake.” Wright said at a press conference on February 13:He told the media that the man was fired because of the allegations but was able to return to work.

He blamed a well-intentioned informant who mistook the man for someone with a similar name and appearance in the video. At the time, the sheriff said deputies sometimes arrested the wrong people.

“I hope this never happens again,” he said, “but there’s a chance it could happen again.”