Gwinnett County police have charged four people with operating two unlicensed personal care homes after investigators said they found 14 elderly and disabled residents living in poor conditions inside two houses on Pond Edge Road.
Police said the search happened April 30 after reports that the properties were being used as unauthorized care facilities. Investigators said they found 14 people inside the homes and discovered expired food, beverages and medications. One resident with dementia was taken to a hospital.
The four suspects were arrested May 5 and booked into the Gwinnett County Jail. Each is charged with two counts of operating an unlicensed personal care home, according to a press release from the Gwinnett County Police Department.
The case unfolded after Adult Protective Services issued a cease-and-desist order the previous day, but police said one suspect then tried to get residents to return. That detail suggests the homes were still being treated as active care facilities even after authorities had ordered them to stop operating.
Ryan Winderweedle, speaking for police, said investigators found expired medications, foods and drinks, photographed the living conditions and moved forward from there. He also said people who believe a loved one is in a facility like this should ask for a police report so detectives can look into it.
The investigation raises the same question at the center of many elder-care cases: who was watching over the people inside those homes, and how long the conditions had been allowed to continue. Police have not released additional details about the residents or the inside of the homes.
