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Personal Injury Law Blog

Assisted living worker charged with stealing drugs, neglecting residents

Those who live in assisted living facilities, as well as their loved ones, trust that they will receive the proper care they deserve. However, all too often, the facilities do not live up to their reputations, and residents are sometimes neglected or abused at the hands of caregivers. Reportedly a woman who worked at an upstate assisted living facility used her position and influence to steal medication from the resident; she faces charges of neglect and exploitation as well.

The indictment

The suspect was described as a 28-year-old woman and Mooresboro resident. She was working at an assisted living facility in Spartanburg. Reportedly, she stole controlled substances from some of the residents she was charged with caring for, according to an investigation by South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control. The woman also faces allegations of neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults.

The alleged incidents occurred during the time between Oct. 2020 and March 2021. A Spartanburg County grand jury recently indicted the woman on a host of charges. These charges include unlawful possession of a controlled substance (five counts), five counts of theft of a controlled substance, five counts of exploitation of a vulnerable adult and neglect of a vulnerable adult. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will be prosecuting the charges through its Medicaid Fraud Control Unit

If any of the woman’s victims suffered adverse effects as a result of her stealing their medications, they and their family members may elect to pursue civil claims against the woman for damages. Reports of the woman’s arrest in connection with stealing the residents’ medications, as well as the neglect and exploitation charges she faces, may go a long way in a civil suit should any of the victims pursue that avenue. Should a resident or class of residents file suit against the woman, they will want to work with a competent personal injury attorney who is well-versed in nursing home abuse and neglect.