Police Bust Group For Ring of Unlicensed Senior Homes

Police on Wednesday morning issued search and arrest warrants at a total of 12 Snellville-area homes they say were being run as unlicensed senior-care facilities.

At 9 a.m., the warrants were issued simultaneously at all of the homes in what Gwinnett County Police are calling Operation Mercury.

The operation stemmed from a May domestic-dispute call at another home, at 4126 Wrexham Dr. in Snellville. There had been an “extensive call history” at the home for medical and domestic issues and code violations and authorities began suspecting it was being run as an unlicensed care facility.

Two suspects at that home were charged with neglect of an elderly person and the investigation that followed revealed other homes and suspects.

All of the eight arrest warrants issued Wednesday were for members of the same family and their friends, police said in a news release.

Citing a state law intended to protect the confidentiality of poor and elderly patients, police did not release the names of any of the suspects or victims.

Numerous people suffering from a range of mental and physical illnesses are being housed in the homes, according to the release. Police say the victims “are living in unsafe and unsupervised conditions and some have a diminished mental capacity.”

Police also believe the suspects were forcing victims to turn over their Social Security checks and other government benefits as rent at the homes.

Wednesday’s operation involved about 150 personnel, including police and fire officers, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, state health and mental-care workers and others.

Police said 5-10 people were believed to be housed at each home. State and local medical-care organizations will be working to find them housing at licensed care facilities equipped to handle their needs, the news release said.

Wednesday morning, authorities were targeting seven new residences they suspected were being used as unlicensed care homes. But as they gathered evidence during the day, a total of 11 were discovered.

The addresses targeted on Wednesday were:

_ 3431 Pate Road

_ 3550 Imperial Hill Drive

_ 2470 Northbrook Road

_ 4026 Belgian Way

_ 1483 Virgil Pond Lane

_ 1474 Stephens Pond View

_ 1819 Rockdale Circle

_ 4060 Camaron Way

_ 1495 Stephens Pond View

_ 1505 Stephens Pond View

_ 3017 Sonya Lane

_ 2068 Englewood Way

All of the suspects are being charged with one count of Exploitation of an At Risk Adult and police say they anticipate additional charges.