Families, neighbors, former employees speak out alleged unlicensed assisted living facilities following arrest
Couple accused of operating unlicensed assisted living homes
A husband and wife accused of operating unlicensed assisted living facilities in Central Florida remained in jail after appearing in an Osceola County courtroom.
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Locks on the doors, windows, and refrigerators; patients with medication withheld; sexual abuse; insect infestations; dehydration and malnutrition; stolen EBT cards are all allegations in arrest affidavits for the owners of Cherish Home Care.
The reports detail scenes of horror at houses allegedly operating as unlicensed assisted living facilities run by Marie Carenan and Ronald Pack.
The patients
The backstory:
FOX 35’s Marie Edinger talked with one woman who says she removed her father after seeing conditions in the home a few months ago. She sent video of the medications he never took and the injuries she says he left with.
Her story mirrors several others recounted in court documents.
"Horrible," she said. "He was balled up like a fetus in a corner of a dark room. He had no lighting."
The former employee
Carenan’s arrest affidavit says DCF and the Sheriff’s Office started investigating after a tip from a former employee. FOX 35 has discovered that the employee was Mandy Largent, who spoke with Investigative Reporter Marie Edinger.
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"I was like, yeah, I'm done, I can't sit here and just watch you treat these people so horribly," Largent recounted.
Largent said at one point, she was a caregiver overseeing all nine Cherish Home facilities. That meant keeping them clean, keeping patients fed, and giving them medication.
"I was not licensed at all," she said. "And I was always scared of that because I'm like, if I mess up, that could kill someone."
The neighbors
FOX 35 Investigative Reporter Marie Edinger went to several of the homes that showed up as being registered to Cherish Home Care and Cherish Independent Living. At one of the houses, neighbors recounted hearing screaming coming from inside on a near-constant basis.
The referrals
The Sheriff’s Office says the Department of Children and Families and a program they run, Families and Florida Assertive Community Treatment, referred mental health patients to Cherish Home Care and Cherish Independent Living. Multiple behavioral health centers did the same.
FOX 35 News reached out to each of those agencies and healthcare centers asking how and why they began referring patients to unlicensed facilities.
HCA Healthcare did respond, though they did not address the question Edinger asked. A representative told Edinger in a statement, "Last year, we assisted law enforcement in their investigation of the individuals involved. Our highest priority is the health and safety of our patients."
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The Florida Department of Children and Families says it’s reviewing the request and working to gather necessary information before responding.
Carenan’s arrest affidavit details Park Place Behavioral Health making payments to Carenan for housing patients at Cherish Home Care, funded by the Central Florida Cares. The Sheriff’s Office says Carenan had been on their list of Assisted Living Facility providers for the past six years, though they could not provide any paperwork verifying the facility was licensed.
FOX 35’s Marie Edinger has reached out to Park Place and the Central Florida Cares program and is waiting to hear back.
What's next:
Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon says he believes more charges could be forthcoming.
A judge told Carenan and Pack that they would not be granted bond for the time being. They both have hearings on Monday where they can argue to be released.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.