Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Heather Leigh Smith, a 44-year-old nurse from Mount Pleasant, on charges related to drug theft and exploitation of vulnerable adults. The arrest was made by the office’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) in collaboration with the Bureau of Drug Control at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

Smith faces six counts of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult and six counts of Theft of a Controlled Substance, first offense. She was booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center on June 24, 2024.

The charges arise from an incident reported by Prince George Healthcare Center to the Georgetown Police Department on March 13, 2023. Smith, employed as a Registered Nurse at the facility, allegedly stole Oxycodone and Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen prescribed to six residents for her personal use between February 19, 2023, and March 7, 2023. All six victims were classified as vulnerable adults under South Carolina law.

The Attorney General's Office will prosecute this case. Conviction for Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult carries a penalty of up to five years in prison or a fine up to $5,000 or both. Theft of a Controlled Substance also carries similar penalties.

Attorney General Wilson emphasized that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

VAMPF is funded primarily through federal grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services amounting to $2,698,638 for fiscal year 2024. The remaining funding comes from South Carolina state resources totaling $899,546.