False arrest causes Myrtle Beach woman to lose her job, new lawsuit claims

A Myrtle Beach woman is suing the city’s police department, claiming she was wrongfully arrested while trying to deposit funds into her bank account that led to her being fired, according to a lawsuit filed May 11 in Horry County Commons Pleas Court.

Court records say Robyn Bodio went to a Bank of America branch on Feb. 24 looking to withdraw $7,000 as part of $16,000 worth of pending deposits from income tax returns. But a teller grew suspicious because the woman had $1.40 in her account the day earlier.

A city police officer at the bank investigating another matter arrested Bodio and placed her in the back of his cruiser next to another person she did not know, the lawsuit alleges.

According to the suit, Bodio spent the next 24 hours in jail and was fired Feb. 25 after her employer learned of the arrest. Bodio was also unable to take her infant son for a scheduled medical procedure as a result of her detention.

Bodio, who was initially charged with obtaining goods under false pretense, was cleared of wrongdoing by the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office on March 23, though she was never notified, the suit asserts.

Bodio’s attorney, Austin Thomas, did not respond to a request for comment.