ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson says an Orangeburg woman has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to charges related to keeping vulnerable adults confined inside an unlicensed care facility.

On October 21, 2025, Estelle Amelia Hutchinson, 53, pleaded guilty in Orangeburg County to neglect of a vulnerable adult, criminal conspiracy, and operating a community residential care home without a license.

Judge Charles McCutchen sentenced her to five years in prison, suspended to three years active time in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, followed by three years of probation. Hutchinson is also prohibited from having any contact with boarding homes, nursing homes, or any residential care facility for vulnerable adults.

An investigatio

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