HANAHAN, S.C. – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced felony charges Monday against a Hanahan woman accused of neglect that led to the deaths of two residents at a North Charleston care facility.
Wilhelmina C. Rellora, 66, the licensed administrator of Park Circle Home, was arrested following an investigation by the Attorney General’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud Unit (VAMPF).
The facility, located at 1133 Bexley Street, operates as a Community Residential Care Facility (CRCF) — a type of assisted living home for adults requiring continuous personal care.
According to arrest warrants, Rellora reportedly failed to provide the necessary care, goods, and services to protect the health and safety of residents. Investigators say those failures resulted in the deaths of two vulnerable adults and caused great bodily injury to a third.
Rellora faces two counts of abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in death and one count of abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in great bodily injury. She was booked into the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center on April 6.
Under South Carolina law, abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in death is a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison, while neglect resulting in great bodily injury carries a penalty of up to 15 years.
The Attorney General’s Office said the alleged victims met the statutory definition of vulnerable adults throughout the period of misconduct.
The VAMPF unit investigates Medicaid provider fraud and the abuse, neglect, or exploitation of individuals in assisted living facilities and nursing homes.
Wilson emphasized that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
