Official: Leader of South Carolina Mentor has left company

GREENVILLE, SC (AP) — An official says the man in charge of a South Carolina company that provides residential care to adults with disabilities is no longer its director.

The Greenville News reports (http://grnol.co/2di1S7b) the departure of Stan Butkus as state director of South Carolina Mentor comes after the newspaper reported on resident deaths, staff arrests, lawsuits and allegations of abuse and neglect.

Vicki Thompson is a commissioner of the state Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. She says the agency has advised commissioners that Butkus had left South Carolina Mentor.

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

South Carolina 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.

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Information from: The Greenville News, http://www.greenvillenews.com

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