Personal care home operator guilty of neglect | Crime

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - A personal care home operator, who housed 16 people in a three bedroom South Jackson home, is going to jail after pleading guilty to 15 counts of misdemeanor neglect of a vulnerable person and one count of operating without a license.

Helen Page, 53, of Jackson operated a personal care home located at 936 Woody Drive.

According to Attorney General Jim Hood, when investigators went to the address, they found 16 individuals residing in a three-bedroom home. All of the people reportedly suffered from various mental health diagnoses and had been shut up and locked in the residence without ability to escape in the event of an emergency.  They were left unattended for long periods of time, according to a news release from Hood.

Under Mississippi law any governmental or private institution for the aged or infirmed that provides group living arrangements for four or more persons who are unrelated to the operator and who are being provided food, shelter and personal care, whether such place is organized or operated for profit or not, must be licensed by the State Department of Health.

Page’s personal care home was not licensed and Page had been issued cease and desist orders by the DOH on two occasions prior to the investigation at the Woody Drive home.

“Unfortunately, there are many illegally run personal care homes throughout the State,” said Attorney General Hood.  “In these type cases, the owners will often keep moving locations to avoid being caught, all so they can collect the victims SSI  checks which average $550 to $600 a month. We’re doing our best to catch them and put them out of business.”