Attorney General Alan Wilson announces arrest of Mount Pleasant nurse charged with stealing drugs

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) and DHEC’s Bureau of Drug Control have arrested Heather Leigh Smith, 44 years old, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., on six counts of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult {43-35-0085 (D)} and six counts of Theft of a Controlled Substance, first offense {44-53-0365(A)}. Smith was booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center on June 24, 2024.

These charges stem from an incident that was reported to the Georgetown Police Department by Prince George Healthcare Center on March 13, 2023, where Smith was employed as a Registered Nurse (RN). A joint investigation by VAMPF and the Bureau of Drug Control revealed that, between February 19, 2023 and March 7, 2023, Smith, while performing her duties as an RN, stole, for her own personal use, and then withheld a quantity of Oxycodone and Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen prescribed to six residents at the facility. The six victims, all vulnerable adults under South Carolina law, resided at Prince George Healthcare Center in Georgetown at the time of the alleged misconduct.

This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. 

Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine up to $5,000, or both. Theft of a Controlled Substance, first offense, is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine up to $5,000, or both.

Pursuant to federal regulations, VAMPF has authority over Medicaid provider fraud; abuse and neglect of Medicaid beneficiaries in any setting; and the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of individuals residing in assisted living facilities or nursing homes. 

Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

VAMPF receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,698,638 for federal fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $899,546 for FFY 2024, is funded by South Carolina.