Former employees of SC disability agency charged with abusing a vulnerable adult

Three former state employees who worked with people with disabilities have been charged with abusing a vulnerable adult.

They were employed by the SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs and worked at the Coastal Regional Center in Summerville.

The charges stem from an April 30 incident, caught on surveillance video, of a resident at the center being hit in the face by one person and pushed to the floor and kicked by another, according to the arrest warrants. The third person watched.

Warrants identified the suspects as Lameia Shaunta Bennett, 32, Freddie Lee Cunningham III, 22, and Nyosha Renee Young, 26.

SLED, which brought the charges, was requested to investigate by the Coastal Regional Center in Summerville.

Bennett, Cunningham and Young were booked at the Dorchester County Detention Center.

The case will be prosecuted by the 1st Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 5:07 PM.