Caregiver sprayed disinfectant to ‘restrict’ patient with disability, SC officials say
A caregiver at a residential care facility is accused of abusing a patient with a disability in South Carolina, officials say.
Pebble Artrevious Hill, 32, from Laurens, a city about 70 miles northwest of Columbia, was charged with abuse of a vulnerable adult, according to a news release from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.
On Jan. 3, Hill sprayed with disinfectant the body and face of a patient with a disability to “restrict” her movements inside Thrive Upstate, a facility in Fountain Inn, according to an investigation from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
“Thrive Upstate’s Quality Assurance process led to the discovery of the incidents in this case after which law enforcement was notified immediately. Thrive Upstate then took measures to remove the former employees from working in the residence and took other steps to further safeguard the health and safety of its residents,” a spokesperson for Thrive Upstate told McClatchy News in an April 18 statement.
“The actions of these individuals were wholly inconsistent with Thrive Upstate’s training, principles, and values. Thrive Upstate continues to work with law enforcement in this case and to ensure that all people with disabilities are treated with the upmost dignity and respect,” the spokesperson said.
Investigators also arrested two other caregivers accused of witnessing the abuse and not reporting it, according to the release. They were both charged with failure to report abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult.
As of April 15, the three workers were held at the Greenville County Detention Center, according to the attorney general.
Wilson said the attorney general’s office will prosecute the case.
This story was originally published April 18, 2022 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Caregiver sprayed disinfectant to ‘restrict’ patient with disability, SC officials say."
