Cruelty Charges Dropped Against Former Dade County Nursing Home Owner
TRENTON, GA – Cruelty charges have been dropped against a Dade County nursing home owner who was arrested in June 2021 after deputies found residents living in extreme heat with minimal staffing.
Deputies arrested Kent Allen Womack on the same day most staff members at Woodhaven Senior Living had quit, leaving just one employee to care for all residents. Temperatures inside the facility reportedly exceeded 90 degrees.
According to a filing from Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney General Clayton Fuller, there was probable cause for the arrest, but further investigation left the State without sufficient evidence to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
At the time of the incident, Dade County deputies and county transit staff quickly relocated nine residents to other facilities, with two requiring hospitalization. Womack had been charged with cruelty to persons over the age of 65, but those charges have now been formally dismissed.