He was supposed to help SC’s most disabled. Now, he’s charged with abusing them

A Midlands Regional Center employee was arrested Tuesday after being charged with abusing one of the adults in his care, according to a statement from the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.

Charles Edward Alston, 56, of Columbia, was charged with abuse of a vulnerable adult after he hit a center resident in the head with a wooden brush, according to the statement.

The Midlands Regional Center is a 24-hour residential care center for adults with severe disabilities, according to S.C. Access. It's run by the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs.

Alston was a human services assistance at the center, which is in Richland County, according to his arrest warrant.

Another employee saw him hit one of the residents on Nov. 29, 2017, and the Midlands Regional Center soon asked the S.C. Law Enforecement Division to step in and investigate, according to the warrant.

Alston was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.