Residents press council over alleged problems at unregulated boarding/group homes; county staff point to state and enforcement channels

A cluster of residents from Greenhurst and nearby neighborhoods told Dorchester County Council on Oct. 6 they have suffered crime, property damage and nuisance behavior they attribute to occupants of a nearby unregulated boarding or group home. Residents asked the council to intervene; county officials said legal and regulatory limits constrain local action but offered enforcement and state‑agency complaint pathways.

John Cadwell told the council he had gathered more than 100 signatures and said the halfway‑house‑style facility at 120 Waring has had residents “molest little girls, assault women, break into houses” and otherwise created neighborhood problems. Taylor Smith, who said she has lived in the neighborhood her entire life, described a house in such disrepair that occupants “are now crawling out of a window in order to get out,” and said rats and ongoing sanitation problems persist.

Tammy Gambrow, speaking from another nearby address, said an individual had forced entry into her mother’s home twice and that porch thefts and harassment have continued. Bridal Campbell Lee said the local school bus route passes the location and described an incident where children were approached at the fence.

Council and staff responses

Council members and County Administrator Ward acknowledged the complaints but said county options are constrained if a facility is not licensed by the state. Ward and other council members advised residents to report criminal behavior to the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and to file code and nuisance complaints with county codes and zoning staff. One council member recommended contacting the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to trigger a state inspection or complaint; another suggested checking whether the operator holds a county business license, which could be revoked if absent.

Why it matters

Residents assert repeated, ongoing problems that they say are affecting vulnerable neighbors and the safety of children; the council’s comments highlight the legal boundaries between local land‑use enforcement and state licensing or health‑related regulation. Without state licensing requirements for that class of facility, officials said, county remedies are more limited and often must proceed through the courts or the sheriff’s office when criminal acts occur.

Next steps identified by officials

- Residents were urged to call 911 or the Sheriff’s Office to report criminal activity. - File nuisance and code complaints with Dorchester County Codes and Zoning to trigger inspections. - Contact DHEC for health or sanitation concerns and to request state review of any unlicensed facility. - County staff said they will check for required business licensing and review enforcement options if the operator lacks required county permits.

No formal directive or ordinance change was adopted at the meeting; the council said it would pass information to relevant county staff and the sheriff’s office for follow up.