The operator of a Morristown group home who previously has faced state charges of neglect now has been ordered to close because of failure to fix fire safety violations.
The Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office said Wednesday it had ordered the immediate closure of Second Chance, aka the Southern Care Group Home, on Reggie Drive in Morristown.
Operator Whitley Gilbert has failed to address "numerous" violations of state building safety standards, according to the Fire Marshal's Office. The building isn't safe to live in, an order from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance states.
She also was running it as an unlicensed group home, according to the state.
The home once was a single-family dwelling. Gilbert lives in the upstairs part of it, and nine residents live in the group home portion itself, records state.
"The facility lacked bedrooms having adequate fire protection as well as open junction boxes, improperly serviced fire extinguishers and other violations. Among the nine residents in the facility were two people who were not capable of self-preservation," according to a state notice Wednesday.
In January, state authorities received a complaint about the home's living conditions.
They conducted an inspection last month and found numerous problems including use of extension cords in place of permanent wiring. Fire extinguishers also had not been properly serviced.
According to the state, Gilbert was given two chances to provide what's called a Plan of Corrective Action. Her efforts haven't met state requirements, according to the state.
The home remains "especially liable to fire so as to endanger life or property," an order of removal from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance states.
“The owner of this facility had numerous opportunities in the past to make improvements that would have created a safer group home and would have meant avoiding our team taking this action today,” said Assistant Commissioner for Fire Prevention Gary Farley. “Instead, the owner did not take our findings seriously and continued to put avoiding compliance of the law ahead of her residents’ safety.”
According to the order, Gilbert has 24 hours to appeal.
In 2018, Gilbert was charged with nine counts of endangering elderly residents when she operated the home on Buffalo Trail. She leased the building.
Authorities charged her after finding residents living without central heat for several days.
Gilbert told WBIR then she disputed the charges and placed the blame for the lack of heat on the owner of the building. She said space heaters ensured the residents stayed warm.
"Them trying to charge me with neglect, absolutely not," Gilbert said then. "Every single one of those patients absolutely love me and know they are very well taken care of."