Official: Leader of S.C. Mentor has left company

An official says the man in charge of a S.C. company that provides residential care to adults with disabilities is no longer its director.

The Greenville News reports the departure of Stan Butkus as state director of S.C. Mentor comes after the newspaper reported on resident deaths, staff arrests, lawsuits and allegations of abuse and neglect.

Vicki Thompson, a commissioner of the state Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, said that agency has advised commissioners that Butkus had left S.C. Mentor.

The agency froze admissions to facilities run by S.C. Mentor in March.

S.C. Mentor has a state contract of nearly $20 million to look after people with intellectual disabilities, autism, brain and spinal cord injuries.

The newspaper was unable to reach Butkus for comment.