‘Atrocities’: Orangeburg woman charged with neglecting five vulnerable adults
An Orangeburg woman has been charged with neglect after police found five vulnerable adults that she had been paid to look after living in dangerous and unsanitary conditions behind a barbershop.
Shaneima Arnise Montgomery, 40, has been charged with five counts of neglect of a vulnerable adult, according to the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. In a news release, Orangeburg Police Chief Charles Austin Sr. described the alleged neglect as “atrocities.”
The families of the five people, whose names have not been released and who ranged in age from 52 to 99, “entrusted” Montgomery with their loved ones, Austin said, but “their trust was betrayed.”
An incident report released by the department describes how on Dec. 27, police found the five adults living at 487 Broughton Street in Orangeburg. A sign outside the building, which police say was not zoned for residential use or licensed by the state, read “Jerry’s Professional Barber.”
Inside, police say that they saw someone receiving a haircut while they conducted their investigation.
But in other parts of the building, investigators found the elderly victims, some of whom were using supplemental oxygen, living in filthy rooms behind doors that allegedly had keypads on the outside.
The incident report described the building as having a “very strong odor of urine scent and several of the victims were in heavily soiled undergarments.”
One person was found living in what the incident report described as a “closet room area” with feces on their bedding.
The incident report alleged that oxygen canisters and medication were not stored properly and a box of used needles was found on the floor of one of the bedrooms. Police also noted that there were no handrails installed in the building.
The five adults were in “imminent danger,” Austin said.
Additionally, the incident report noted that while there were two bathrooms containing a toilet and sink, there were no bathing facilities. There were frozen meals in a refrigerator as well as a stove and a microwave, but the building did not have a proper kitchen, according to police.
Records from the South Carolina Secretary of State show that Montgomery is the registered agent for 28 different LLCs, nonprofits and corporations. Five of them are registered at 487 Broughton Street: Carolina Southern Living LLC, Love & Togetherness Inc, Over The Rainbow Learning and ChildCare Center Inc, Thee Blueprint Collective and Varsity Bookstore LLC.
On Friday, an Orangeburg municipal judge set Montgomery’s bond at $30,000. Orangeburg police say that the case remains under investigation.
This story was originally published January 6, 2024 at 1:40 PM.