Two employees at a South Carolina care facility are facing felony charges after investigators say a vulnerable adult was left strapped to a toilet for more than an hour while a feeding tube leaked, eventually falling and being discovered in a disturbing position on the floor. Authorities allege that the workers responsible for the victim’s care knew assistance was needed but failed to provide the basic attention and supervision required.

The incident happened on May 20 at the Coastal Regional Center in Summerville, South Carolina, a facility serving people who require specialized support. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, commonly known as SLED, began investigating after the South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities requested that law enforcement examine what happened.

The investigation ultimately led to charges against two employees: 46-year-old registered nurse Angela Peterson and 41-year-old direct support professional Sherika Myles. Both women were charged with neglect of a vulnerable adult.

According to investigators, surveillance footage and witness interviews played an important role in establishing the timeline. What authorities say happened during that period raises serious questions about supervision, medical care and the responsibility workers have when caring for someone unable to fully protect or advocate for themselves.

At the center of the case is the victim’s G-tube, or gastrostomy tube. Such tubes are used to deliver nutrition, fluids or medication directly into the stomach for people who cannot adequately eat or drink by mouth. Because a feeding tube provides direct access to the body, problems such as leakage can require prompt assessment and appropriate medical attention.

Authorities allege that Peterson became aware the victim’s G-tube was leaking. As the registered nurse on duty, she was in a position of significant responsibility regarding the victim’s medical needs.

But investigators say the problem was not repaired at that time.

Instead, Peterson allegedly wrapped a towel around the leaking tube and waited for approximately an hour for employees on the next shift to arrive. During that period, authorities say the vulnerable adult remained restrained on a toilet.

That hour would become the focus of the criminal investigation.

According to authorities, Myles was responsible for monitoring the victim while the individual remained on the toilet. Investigators say she was supposed to check on the victim approximately every five minutes. The allegation against Myles is that she failed to perform those checks adequately.

The situation eventually became even more alarming.

Investigators say the victim fell and was later discovered in a squatted position on the floor while still strapped to the toilet. The circumstances surrounding that discovery became key evidence as authorities tried to determine whether the workers responsible for the victim had provided an appropriate level of care.

For investigators, the case was not simply about a medical device that began leaking. The central question was what the employees did—or allegedly failed to do—after they became aware that a vulnerable person needed assistance.

SLED investigators reviewed surveillance video and conducted interviews as part of the inquiry. Authorities say that evidence supported allegations that Peterson and Myles failed to provide basic care to the victim.

The case highlights why vulnerable-adult neglect allegations are treated so seriously. People living in specialized care facilities may depend on employees for virtually every aspect of their daily lives. Depending on the individual, that assistance can include eating, bathing, using the bathroom, taking medication, moving safely and responding to medical problems.

That dependence creates an enormous level of trust.

When a person cannot independently remove a restraint, repair a feeding tube, call for assistance or clearly communicate that something is wrong, caregivers become that person’s primary layer of protection. Even relatively short periods without proper supervision can potentially create dangerous circumstances.

The allegations against Peterson are particularly significant because she was working as a registered nurse. Nurses are expected to assess changes in a patient’s condition and respond appropriately to medical concerns. Investigators allege that despite noticing the leaking G-tube, Peterson did not resolve the problem and instead used a towel around the tube while waiting for the next shift.

Authorities have not suggested that simply encountering a leaking feeding tube constitutes a crime. Rather, the criminal allegation centers on the response to the situation and whether the victim received the care legally required under the circumstances.

Myles’ alleged responsibility was different but equally important to investigators. As a direct support professional, she was reportedly expected to monitor the victim at frequent intervals. Authorities say those checks were not adequately completed.

The fact that the victim ultimately fell while still restrained intensified concerns about what occurred during the period of supervision.

After the investigation, both Peterson and Myles were arrested and booked into the Dorchester County Detention Center. They were subsequently released while the criminal cases against them proceed.

Being charged does not establish guilt. The allegations against both women will have to move through the court system, where prosecutors will be responsible for proving the charges and the defendants will have an opportunity to challenge the evidence and present their defenses.

The South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities has said it is cooperating fully with law enforcement. Importantly, the department itself requested the investigation, bringing the incident to the attention of SLED.

That involvement could become significant as the case develops. Investigators may examine not only the actions of the two workers but also relevant facility procedures, staffing responsibilities, monitoring requirements and medical protocols to understand exactly what should have happened once the feeding tube problem was discovered.

Surveillance footage could also prove crucial. In institutional neglect investigations, video can provide investigators with something witness testimony alone cannot always offer: a timeline showing when employees entered or left an area, how frequently a resident was checked and how long a person remained without assistance.

Combined with employee interviews and facility records, such footage can help investigators determine whether required care was actually provided.

The case also raises broader concerns for families who place loved ones in facilities because they can no longer safely provide all necessary care themselves. Families often entrust facilities with people who may be unable to explain mistreatment or neglect after it occurs. Some residents may have intellectual or developmental disabilities, serious physical limitations or communication difficulties.

For those families, proper oversight is not simply a matter of comfort. It can be the difference between safety and a potentially dangerous situation going unnoticed.

What makes the South Carolina allegations particularly troubling is the combination of circumstances described by investigators: a vulnerable adult restrained on a toilet, a leaking medical feeding tube, an alleged failure to conduct adequate five-minute checks and a fall that left the victim on the floor while still strapped to the toilet.

Each allegation will now be examined through the criminal justice system.

There are also important questions that may emerge as the cases proceed. Exactly what did the surveillance footage show throughout the hour? When was the victim last properly checked before the fall? What procedures were staff expected to follow when a G-tube began leaking? Could the victim have been moved safely instead of remaining on the toilet? And did either employee attempt to obtain additional medical assistance?

Those details could help determine not only what happened but why investigators concluded that the conduct rose to the level of alleged criminal neglect rather than simply a workplace mistake.

For now, Peterson and Myles face felony neglect allegations, while the state agency responsible for the facility says it continues cooperating with authorities.

The victim at the center of the investigation depended on other people for protection and basic care. According to investigators, that protection failed during a critical period on May 20.

As the criminal cases move forward, surveillance footage, employee testimony and facility protocols could reveal much more about what happened during that hour—and whether there were opportunities to prevent the disturbing scene investigators say was ultimately discovered.