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SNELLVILLE, Ga. - Gwinnett County Police used a fire station as a command post Wednesday to issue warrants in an investigation lasting several months to locate suspects accused of neglecting disabled adults and elderly people.
Authorities simultaneously executed search warrants and arrest warrants at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning in what they call “Operation Mercury”.
Police said the 12 homes operating as unlicensed care homes in Snellville housed numerous people who suffer from a range of mental and physical illnesses.
"It's possible the victims in these situations were living in fear. We all know how people with diminished mental capacities can be easily intimidated through fear --especially when it's coming from people responsible for their basic needs and care," said Gwinnett Police Cpl Deon Washington.
Investigators said the victims lived in unsafe and unsupervised conditions for months.
In one house-the first house in this investigation--detectives discovered a locked chain on the refrigerator. In other houses, there wasn't enough food for all of the people living the home," Cpl Washington said Wednesday.
Detectives have also learned that the victims are recipients of EBT benefits and SSI payments.
"These victims, many of whom were elderly, were forced to reliquinsh their payments as a form of rent," said Washington.
In a news release, police said detectives obtained search warrants for 12 different homes and arrest warrants for 8 different suspects.
Police will charge each of the suspects with one count of Exploitation of an At Risk Adult, which is a felony. But police say additional charges could be filed.“We highly anticipate additional charges will be filed as the search warrants are executed and additional evidence is uncovered through documentation recovery and victim interviews.”
According to police, all of the suspects are relatives and friends.
Citing federal law, police will not release the names of the victims or suspects.
Gwinnett County Fire Station 12 on Lenora Church Rd in Snellville served as command center for the operation.
“Our primary objectives for this operation are to improve the quality of life for the victims without subjecting them to unnecessary stress or fear of law enforcement and gain the necessary evidence to solidify the criminal investigation. As a result, we have employed the assistance of several state and county agencies as follows; Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Healthcare Facility Regulations (HFR), Adult Protective Services (APS), Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), Gwinnett County Fire Marshal’s Office, Quality of Life Unit (QOL), Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services and the Veteran’s Affairs (VA). This operation involves approximately 150 personnel both law enforcement and civilian, said Washington.”
He went on to explain how a several agencies will help ensure the victims are safely relocated into legitimate personal care homes.
“HFR and APS will be primarily responsible for the relocation and placement of the victims at licensed care facilities that are equipped to handle mental illnesses and other medical conditions. Paramedics will assist with the operation in the event that someone needs medical treatment at the scene. We are not sure exactly how many people will be located at the homes but we estimate that five to ten people may be found at each home. We forecast that relocating the victims and their property from the homes will take three to four hours at each location. A number of the victims EBT accounts were being monitored by the state for fraudulent activity at the onset of the investigation. It is believed that the suspects are forcing the victims to relinquish their EBT and SSI payments as rent for these locations.”
The investigation began on May 6, 2014 when Gwinnett County Police responded to a domestic dispute at a home on Wrexham Drive in Snellville. Police said the home has an extensive call history for past five years for medical calls, domestic disputes, and ordinance violations.
Officers suspected that the location was a personal care home and requested SVU detectives.
Police brought in Healthcare Facilities Regulations (HFR), Gwinnett County Quality of Life Unit, and Gwinnett County Fire Marshal’s Office to assist with the investigation.