ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Melanie Spiller recently celebrated her mother Martha’s 101th birthday at the Oaks at Suwanee Creek, where she has been living for the past three years.

“She is still mentally with it,” Spiller said. “I know she doesn’t have forever. I realize her days are limited, but I would like them to be happier.”

Spiller said she just learned that her mother’s former nurse is accused of stealing prescription medication from her and other residents.

“Very betrayed. And they feel betrayed, the residents do,” Spiller said.

The Suwanee Police Department launched an investigation and arrested Terri Howell, a nurse at the facility, and charged her with multiple counts of cruelty and obtaining a controlled substance by deception.

Nurse charged with stealing prescription pills from seniors

According to a police press release, Martha had 48 opioid pain pills stolen. A former employee who did not want to be identified is also speaking out.

“It’s a God calling for me. And I would still be in it, other than I could no longer tolerate things I was seeing in the industry. It broke my heart to see what was happening to our seniors,” the former Oaks at Suwanee Creek employee said.

Atlanta News First contacted the corporate office for the Oaks at Suwanee Creek, and they said upon learning of the incident, they immediately placed the nurse on administrative leave and then fired her.

They went on to say they are deeply concerned by the allegations, and that the well-being and safety of their residents is their utmost priority.

“We have stringent protocols and training programs in place to safeguard our residents, and we will be reinforcing these measures in light of this event,” a spokesperson for Oaks at Suwanee Creek said in a statement.

“The level of betrayal for the residents for the aides, for the family, I mean we are just blown away. I never suspected that with Terri,” Spiller said.

Atlanta News First tried calling and texting the nurse for comment, to no avail. Police said the investigation rolls on.

Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.

Atlanta’s mayor and city council want to get ahead of the water crisis that plagued our city for five days. Mayor Andre Dickens has already announced the city will set aside five million dollars to help businesses who were negatively impacted by the water main break, but what about residents?

ATLANTA – When it comes to getting away from it all, Atlanta is one of the best cities in the country to stay home and relax.

That’s according to a new study by WalletHub, which examined more than 180 American cities to see their viability for a wallet-friendly staycation.

The study used 42 key metrics, including the number of hiking trails and tennis courts, the idealness of each city’s summer weather, and the quality of nightlife options.

When the results were tabulated, Atlanta took 8th place in the country for a staycation. 

MORE: Atlanta ranked 4th most fun city by study

The city ranked No. 1 for ice cream and frozen yogurt shops per capita.

It also ranked high for having a lot of parks and swimming pools.

MORE: Metro Atlanta city named best place to move to in Georgia

Orlando, Florida took the top spot, followed by Honolulu, Hawaii and Cincinnati, Ohio.

If you live in Pearl City, Hawaii, Irving, Texas, or Fremont, California, it’s best to start thinking about getting away – those three ranked lowest of the 182 cities.

You can see the full list here.