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by ERIN PARROTT
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The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced that a custody officer at a state-contracted psychiatric facility had been charged with abuse of a vulnerable adult – the latest in a troubling string of allegations involving staff at the Wellpath Recovery Solutions center located in northeast Richland County.
According to a release from the statewide agency, 44-year-old Gregory Marcel Higgins was taken into custody on Wednesday (February 18, 2026) following an investigation initiated by a call to SLED from the facility.
An affidavit accompanying the arrest warrant alleges Higgins placed a vulnerable adult patient in a chokehold and escorted him down a hallway inside the facility.
Investigators say the conduct was corroborated through interviews, surveillance footage and information provided during the inquiry.
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This is not the first time staff involving the facility have faced criminal allegations tied to the treatment of vulnerable adults under their care, however.
In December 2025, SLED charged 33-year-old Shawn Henry Fitzhugh Sr. – who was a custody officer at the facility – with abuse of a vulnerable adult. Authorities allege he picked up a patient and threw them to the floor, leaving the victim with a laceration.
In late 2024, another former custody officer, 38-year-old Brandon Oneil Stewart, was charged with neglect of a vulnerable adult and malicious injury to personal property. Warrants said he allegedly deprived a patient of food, threw the resident’s food tray to the floor and destroyed personal items, including books, magazines and photos.
These incidents, spanning at least a year, raise questions about internal oversight, hiring and monitoring at the Columbia facility – which is contracted by the S.C. Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (SCDBHDD).
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As for this case, details from the latest warrants allege Higgins’ conduct violated state law and the peace and dignity of the State of South Carolina – language common in abuse of vulnerable adult charges. Surveillance video and witness interviews were key to building the case, according to SLED.
The department has not released further comment on internal actions taken at the facility or whether state behavioral health officials have examined safety protocols following the previous incidents.
Higgins was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn detention center in connection with the abuse allegations, where he awaits prosecution by the S.C. Fifth Circuit solicitor’s office.
Count on FITSNews to continue monitoring developments in the Higgins case and conditions at the state-contracted facility.
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THE RELEASE …
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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