George Kenney, Hypnotizing Principal, Lies About Student Hypnosis
You are getting very sleepy! You are a chicken! That's the way most of us think when hypnosis is mentioned. That's not what happened in a Florida high school. According to Herald Tribune, a the principal for the North Port High School in North Port Florida is being accused of hypnotizing his students and staff. Find out more about this watch-swinging principal.
George Kenney defied orders from the school board to stop using hypnosis on his students three separate times according to the Herald Tribune. Investigators said they found 75 different instances where Kenney performed hypnosis on students, their parents, and staff and their children.
The extent of Kenney's hypnotism came to light weeks after the suicide of one of his students. The parents of Wesley McKinley, 16, questioned Kenney about the hypnosis session after their child's suicide, there is no indication of McKinley's suicide is tied to Kenney's hypnosis session.
Reports also show that Kenney had hypnotized two other students prior to their deaths; Brittany Palumbo five months before her suicide and 16-year-old Marcus Freeman before he died in a car accident.
Kenny's lawyer, Mark Zimmerman, says that Kenny has been open about hypnotizing students, but was mis-spoken due to the stress of the situation.
"It was a tremendously chaotic time, and when my client had time to sit down and calmly answer questions he corrected that misstatement," Zimmerman said according to Herald Tribune.
The North Port Police Department are investigating the situation and Kenny could be charged with second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine if arrested.