SLED charges two former psychiatric hospital employees with abusing a vulnerable adult
AT 644, IN TIME FOR NEWS TO GO, WE HAVE A LOOK AT TODAY’S TOP NEWS STORIES, YOUR TRAFFIC AND WEATHER ALL BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT THE DOOR. WE BEGIN WITH EVENTS UNDERWAY TO HONOR THE MEMORY OF CIVIL RIGHTS ICON AND GREENVILLE NATIVE REVEREND JESSE JACKSON. HE DIED LAST TUESDAY AT THE AGE OF 84. AND ON YOUR SCREEN RIGHT NOW IS A LIVE LOOK WHERE THE PUBLIC VIEWING FOR THE REVEREND JESSE JACKSON WILL RESUME. YOU CAN SEE THOSE EVENTS. THE FULL LIST THERE RESUMING AT THE RAINBOW PUSH COALITION HEADQUARTERS IN CHICAGO. THE FORMAL SERVICES ARE HAPPENING IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND WASHINGTON, D.C. HE’S ALSO SCHEDULED TO LIE IN HONOR AT THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE ON MONDAY. IN CHICAGO, A PUBLIC HOMEGOING SERVICE WILL TAKE PLACE FRIDAY, MARCH 6TH AT THE HOUSE OF HOPE AND THEN A PRIVATE HOMEGOING SERVICE WILL BE ON SATURDAY, MARCH 7TH AT THE RAINBOW PUSH HEADQUARTERS. WYFF NEWS 4 WILL HAVE LIVE COVERAGE FROM COLUMBIA ON MONDAY AS JACKSON LIES IN HONOR AND FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR PICKENS COUNTY DEPUTY WHO LOST HER BATTLE WITH CANCER AND DIED THIS WEEK AT AGE 54. AND HER SERVICES WILL BE HELD TOMORROW AFTERNOON AT 1:00 AT ROCK SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH IN EASLEY. GUESTS ARE ASKED TO WEAR ROYAL BLUE, WHICH WAS HER FAVORITE COLOR, AND IT’S ALSO THE COLOR OF THE THIN BLUE LINE, A SYMBOL OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND IT HEADS UP THIS MORNING FOR ANYONE IN DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE, AS CITY STAFF ARE WARNING PEOPLE OF A SCAM THAT’S INVOLVING QR CODE STICKERS ON PARKING METERS. STAFF HAVE FOUND A NOW REMOVED A FEW STICKERS ON BILTMORE AVENUE. NOW, WHAT HAPPENS IF IT’S SCANNED IS YOU’RE TAKEN TO A FAKE PARKING SITE WHICH ASKS FOR YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION. THE CITY OF ASHEVILLE ACTUALLY DOESN’T USE QR CODES AS A PAYMENT METHOD. ONLY METERS TEXT TO PAY OR THE FLOWBIRD APP. YOU CAN REPORT ANY OF THOSE STICKER SIGHTINGS TO THE EMAIL OR THE PHONE NUMBER THAT YOU SEE ON YOUR SCREEN RIGHT NOW. IN PICKENS COUNTY, THE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUST APPROVED A NEW BOOK POLICY DAYS AFTER FIRING THEIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND ALSO CANCELING CERTAIN YOUTH PROGRAMS. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES DECIDED TO ELIMINATE THE YOUNG ADULT SECTION AND CREATED A NEW ONE NAMED TEENS. THE BOARD CLAIMS THE TERM YOUNG ADULTS IS, QUOTE, AMBIGUOUS, CONFUSING, AND SHOULDN’T EXIST, EVEN THOUGH THAT GOES AGAINST THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. WE DO NOT NEED TO BE CREATING NEW TERMS. WE DO NOT NEED TO HAVE OUR OWN PICKENS COUNTY DEFINITION OF WHICH BOOKS SHOULD BE IN THE LIBRARY. THAT IS, OTHER PEOPLE TELLING ME WHAT MY CHILDREN CAN READ. IT VERY MUCH FEELS LIKE CENSORSHIP. WYFF NEWS 4 REACHED OUT TO PICKENS COUNTY BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO ASK WHY THEY FELT THE NEW POLICY NEEDED TO BE ENACTED, AND WHY THEY TERMINATED THE LIBRARY’S DIRECTOR. WE’VE YET TO HEAR BACK. 647 NOW IN HAIR BRAIDING, PRODUCTS ARE WIDELY USED BY BLACK WOMEN AND GIRLS, BUT A NEW CONSUMER REPORT STUDY FOUND A NUMBER OF THOSE PRODUCTS CONTAIN HEAVY METALS AND CHEMICALS THAT COULD BE HARMFUL. THE MOST RECENT STUDY WAS PUBLISHED THIS WEEK, AND IT ACTED AS A FOLLOW UP TO A SIMILAR STUDY THAT TOOK PLACE LAST YEAR. THIS STUDY TESTED 30 HAIR BRAIDING PRODUCTS, INCLUDING PLANT BASED AND HUMAN HAIR PRODUCTS, AND RESEARCHERS DETECTED HEAVY METAL IN 29 OF THE 30 PRODUCTS. HEAT CAN ALSO ACT AS A CATALYST IN RELEASING POTENTIALLY HARMFUL CHEMICALS IN THE HAIR. YOU MAY KNOW THAT ESPECIALLY WITH SYNTHETIC BRAIDS, THEY CLOSE THE ENDS WITH EITHER FLAME OR BOILING WATER. WELL, THAT WOULD HELP REDUCE RELEASE THE VOCS. AND SO WE SUGGEST YOU FIGURE OUT A DIFFERENT WAY TO CLOSE THE END OF THE BRAIDS. OR IF YOU’RE GOING TO DO THAT OR YOUR STYLIST IS GOING TO DO THAT, MAKE SURE YOU’RE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA, MAYBE AN AREA WITH A AIR FILTER, ETC. TO REDUCE THAT. AND STUDY’S AUTHORS RECOMMEND SEVERAL STEPS TO REDUCE THE EXPOSURE TO THIS POTENTIALLY HARMFUL CHEMICALS. IT INCLUDES REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF TIME BRAIDS ARE BEING WORN AND INCREASING THE TIME BETWEEN BRAIDING TREATMENTS. YOU CAN FIND THE STUDY IN THE LIST OF BRANDS TESTED ON CONSUMERREPORTS.ORG. IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH COMES TO AN END AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, WE’RE HIGHLIGHTING TWO WOMEN WHO HAVE BROKEN BARRIERS IN SOUTH CAROLINA’S ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. GAYLE IS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF BOTH THE URBAN LEAGUE OF THE UPSTATE AND STUDIO 92 TWO. THE STUDIO WORKS TO PAVE THE WAY FOR LOCAL TALENT, LINKING THEM TO EMERGING GROWTH IN FILM AND MEDIA. GET THIS SHE’S CREDITED FOR HELPING TO BRING MORE MAJOR FILM PRODUCTION TO THE UPSTATE, GIVING LOCAL TALENT MAJOR EXPOSURE. WE BOTH AGREE WE WANT FOLKS TO HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO KNOW THAT THEY CAN, FIRST OF ALL, STAY HERE, THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEAVE TO DO THE THING YOU REALLY DREAM OF DOING. LISA LOPEZ IS THE OWNER OF A TALENT AGENCY IN SPARTANBURG, AND AS THE AGENCY APPROACHES ITS TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY, LOPEZ AND HER HUSBAND HAVE HELPED DOZENS OF LOCAL TALENT LAND MAJOR ROLES WITHOUT HAVING TO FIND AGENCIES IN BIGGER CITIES. IF YOU’D LIKE TO SEE WHAT WE’VE COVERED SO FAR DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH, YOU CAN VISIT WYFF 4 DOT COM AND CLICK THE PROJECT COMMUNITY SECTION. VICTORIA. AFTER A JURY START TO OUR FRIDAY, WE ARE STILL SEEING SOME RAIN ACROSS THE RADAR RIGHT NOW. SPARTANBURG FOG IS SO DENSE YOU CAN’T EVEN SEE OVER THE CAMERA. VISIBILITY IS DOWN TO HALF A MILE IN SPARTANBURG, GREENVILLE RIGHT NOW, 52 DEGREES. ANDERSON WAKING UP TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AT 56 AND SOME DENSE FOG TOWARDS ASHEVILLE AS WELL AT 45 DEGREES. OVER THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS, WE’LL START TO SEE ALL THE RAIN MOVE OUT WITH 1 OR 2 LIGHT SHOWERS OR SPRINKLES LEFT OVER THROUGHOUT THE DAY, BUT WE ARE KEEPING MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES IN THE FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON. BUT MOST OF THAT HEAVY RAIN NOW MOVING TOWARDS THE MIDLANDS AND THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT YOUR FRIDAY. NOW THIS AFTERNOON AGAIN WE ARE MOSTLY CLOUDY, BUT THAT’S NOT STOPPING TEMPERATURES FROM WARMING UP A BIT. WE ARE HEADING TOWARDS THE LOW 60S THIS AFTERNOON, WHICH NOW IS OUR AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. UPPER 50S TOWARDS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. IF YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR TONIGHT, WE’LL DROP TO THE 40S, BUT IT WILL BE A BIT CHILLY. BUT SUNSHINE DOES RETURN TOMORROW. TEMPERATURES ARE DROPPING BECAUSE THE SUN AND CLEAR SKIES ARE RETURNING AS WE HEAD TOWARDS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AGAIN, WE WILL START TO SEE CLOUDS MOVE OUT LATER TODAY. BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS WE ARE SEEING CLEAR SKIES IN THE FORECAST. THIS WILL TAKE OUR TEMPERATURES TOWARDS THE UPPER 60S ON SATURDAY. LEE, HOW ARE THE ROADS? HEY VICTORIA, EXCELLENT POINTS THERE ABOUT THAT VISIBILITY AND ABOUT TAKING THINGS A LITTLE SLOWER AS YOU HEAD OUT THE DOOR. THIS MORNING WE’RE TAKING A LIVE LOOK OVER BY GSP AIRPORT. AS YOU CAN SEE, NORTHBOUND SOUTHBOUND LANES. I’VE BEEN WATCHING THEM FOR THE PAST COUPLE MINUTES. KIND OF ENTERTAINING BECAUSE THAT SOUTHBOUND LANE WILL GET SUPER JAM PACKED AND THEN THE NORTHBOUND LANE WILL GET SUPER JAM PACKED. AND THEY KIND OF TRADE OFF HERE AND THERE. BUT WE’RE SEEING A LITTLE BIT OF A SLOWDOWN, ESPECIALLY AROUND I-85 SOUTHBOUND RIGHT NOW. TAKING A LIVE LOOK AT OUR AREA ALL OVER THAT GREEN IS THE RAIN THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE SEEING ON THE ROADS. SO IF YOU’RE HEADING OUT THE DOOR ANYTIME SOON, YOU MIGHT NEED TO TAKE IT JUST A LITTLE SLOWER. BUT I-85 IS LOOKING GOOD. AVERAGE SPEEDS AS YOU GET OUT THE DOOR AND GET ON TO YOUR MORNING COMMUTE. WHAT DID I TELL YOU? I-85 SOUTHBOUND AIRPORT ROAD WOODRUFF ROAD. NOTHING SIGNIFICANT, JUST A SLIGHT SLOWDOWN. THAT’S PRETTY TYPICAL, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THE ROADS ARE LOOKING NICE AND GREEN. AARON. LEAH. THANK YOU. ASHEVILLE’S RIVER ARTS DISTRICT HAS BEEN NAMED THE BEST ARTS DISTRICT IN THE UNITED STATES BY USA TODAY’S TEN BEST READERS CHOICE AWARDS. THAT RECOGNITION PUTS NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON A PLACE WHERE CREATIVITY IS LIVED EVERY SINGLE DAY. ALONG THE FRENCH BROAD RIVER, HUNDREDS OF WORKING ARTISTS OPEN THEIR STUDIOS TO VISITORS, CREATING AN EXPERIENCE WHERE ARTS MADE THE MOMENT AND ITS SHARED FACE TO FACE. AND THAT SPIRIT EXTENDS BEYOND THE STUDIOS AND GALLERIES AS WELL INTO THE DISTRICT’S RESTAURANTS, HOTELS AND MUSIC VENUES THAT REFLECT THE SAME INDEPENDENT FEEL. WE’RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS, AND ME PERSONALLY, I’M TRYING TO MAKE THE BEST ART I’VE EVER MADE IN MY LIFE BECAUSE I’M FEELING THAT INSPIRED, AND IT’S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO COME TO THE DISTRICT SO THAT THEY KNOW THAT THE ART SCENE IS ALIVE AND WE’RE BOUNCING BACK. WE’RE A RESILIENT COMMUNITY, AND WE’RE HERE TO STAY. THE AWARD COMES AS THE DISTRICT CONTINUES MOVING FORWARD AFTER HURRICANE HELENE. TODAY, THE RIVER ARTS DISTRICT IS OPEN AND ACTIVE WITH SEVERAL EVENTS LIKE SECOND SATURDAY STUDIO STROLLS, GALLERY WALKS, ART MARKETS AND FESTIVALS. MEANWHILE, THE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS BEING RECOGNIZED AS THE 2025 BEST SMALL AIRPORT IN NORTH AMERICA. THAT DESIGNATION WAS AWARDED BASED OFF REVIEWS FROM CUSTOMERS, AND LAST YEAR, GSP ALSO RECEIVED SEVERAL OTHER AWARDS FOR THEIR SERVICE. THE AIRPORT SAYS THE RECOGNITION REFLECTS ITS CONTINUED
SLED charges two former psychiatric hospital employees with abusing a vulnerable adult
Updated: 4:30 PM EST Feb 27, 2026
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has charged another former employee at a psychiatric hospital in Columbia with abuse of a vulnerable adult.According to SLED, at the time of the incident, 23-year-old Javin Lashaun Carter-Wicks was working as a custody officer for Wellpath Recovery Solutions at 7901 Farrow Road, which is a contracted psychiatric hospital for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities – Office of Mental Health. On June 18, 2025, Carter-Wicks allegedly hit the victim with a shield, causing them to hit the wall. The victim is a patient at Wellpath Recovery Solutions and is considered a vulnerable adult.On Feb. 18, SLED also charged 44-year-old Gregory Marcel Higgins with abuse of a vulnerable adult in connection with the case.According to the arrest warrant, Higgins placed the victim in a chokehold and walked him down a hallway.Carter-Wicks and Higgins were both booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.The case will be prosecuted by the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.Keep up with what’s happening around our area by downloading the WYFF News 4 app on the App Store or Google Play.
COLUMBIA, S.C. —
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has charged another former employee at a psychiatric hospital in Columbia with abuse of a vulnerable adult.
According to SLED, at the time of the incident, 23-year-old Javin Lashaun Carter-Wicks was working as a custody officer for Wellpath Recovery Solutions at 7901 Farrow Road, which is a contracted psychiatric hospital for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities – Office of Mental Health.
On June 18, 2025, Carter-Wicks allegedly hit the victim with a shield, causing them to hit the wall. The victim is a patient at Wellpath Recovery Solutions and is considered a vulnerable adult.
On Feb. 18, SLED also charged 44-year-old Gregory Marcel Higgins with abuse of a vulnerable adult in connection with the case.
According to the arrest warrant, Higgins placed the victim in a chokehold and walked him down a hallway.
Carter-Wicks and Higgins were both booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.
The case will be prosecuted by the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Keep up with what’s happening around our area by downloading the WYFF News 4 app on the App Store or Google Play.