POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. -- The owner, manager, and administrator of Essene Home were each charged with two misdemeanor counts of abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults, the Powhatan Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday.
The Essene Home is an assisted living facility that houses 26 people living with intellectual disabilities, mental health disorders, Alzheimer's, and dementia.
Powhatan investigators were called to the property at the behest of a family member of someone who lives at the center.
"The investigation resulted in charges being filed against Clarence Lewis the owner of the Essene home, Karen Fitzgerald, the manager, and her husband Daryl Fitzgerald the administrator of the facility," a spokesperson for the sheriff's office wrote in an email.
All three individuals will make an initial court appearance on April 27.
Lewis, who has owned the facility for 35 years, said he was puzzled by the investigation and subsequent charges.
He said he bought the place to help people and called the facility unique because of the care they provide residents.
Detective Danny Joyner said an investigation determined the facility failed to refill or give necessary medication to two patients for several weeks.
“It puts them in a very vulnerable situation when they are not being taken care of properly and families are putting their trust in the home to do this,” Joyner said.
Lewis called the accusations false and said prescriptions were filled.
“We don’t know what they are talking about. We follow every regulation and have documentation to prove it,” he said.
The sheriff’s office stated they have had calls for service to the property roughly 150 times over the last five years.
They also confirmed a now-former administrator of the facility was convicted of embezzlement and for stealing a resident's identity.
The Virginia Department of Social Services has received five complaints about the facility over the last five years.
All of them resulted in violations, according to the department's website.
Of the 20 inspections the department has done at the facility, 14 resulted in violations.
The majority of those violations dealt with medication not being properly administered, staff being unlicensed, facility issues, and not abiding by state laws, according to the website.
When asked if he should have notified the state that they could not handle the load, Lewis said they did not take in more patients while the facility was short-staffed during the pandemic.
When asked if he felt the facility is adequately able to take care of 24 or 26 people, Lewis said they had been doing it for 35 years and that they experienced challenges with staffing during the pandemic. Lewis followed up saying they are staffed now.
“We’re in compliance from the state. We are not in violation,” he added.
The Sheriff’s Office said the residents involved in this case are now at a new facility.
Lewis and his employees will appear in court plan to fight the charges .
If convicted they could face fines and up to 12 months in jail for each count.
Essene Home is located at 4332 Worsham Rd in Powhatan County.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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