An indictment in Candler County against Ralph Cowart, the co-owner of Southern Manor Senior Living in Statesboro, was dismissed last week.
A one sentence Order for Dismissal signed March 6 by Superior Court Judge Tommy Smith reads: “Upon motion of the district attorney, the within case is hereby dismissed without prejudice,” dropping charges of neglect to a disabled adult and reckless conduct in connection with a June 22-23, 2023 incident that occurred in Metter.
Judge Smith also signed an Order for Dismissal for Meghan McCullogh with the same verbiage. McCullogh, who faced the same charges as Cowart, was executive director of Southern Manor at Candler Senior Living where the incident in question took place. Cowart had become a co-owner of the facility earlier in 2023.
Attorneys for both Cowart, who has been co-owner of Southern Manor in Statesboro since 2011, and McCullough did not offer any further comment Friday beyond the statements they made via email when the indictments were announced in December 2023.
“Mr. Cowart strongly denies any wrongdoing in this matter,” Statesboro attorney Matthew K. Hube wrote in a December email. “He did not commit any of the acts that are being alleged by the state.”
“On behalf of Meghan McCullough, I would like to plainly state that the indictment in this matter alleges behavior that she has not, is not, nor would she ever participate in at any time,” Statesboro attorney Keith Barber wrote in a December email.
The dismissal order was signed “without prejudice,” which means Tripp Fitzner, district attorney for the Middle Judicial Circuit of Georgia, could refile the charges in the future, though there was no indication of any plans to do that. No one in Fitzner’s office could be reached for comment Friday.
Incident in question
According to a Candler Sheriff’s Office incident report, Deputy Edwin Aviles was dispatched at 6:52 a.m., Friday, June 23 in response to a report of “an elderly female walking on the railroad tracks.” Aviles said the woman told him she was kicked out of Southern Manor the previous evening and left out all night.
After the woman and her mother were interviewed about the incident, Capt. Justin Wells with the Candler County Sheriff’s Office said the Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on June 30 to help determine if charges were warranted.
On Aug. 1, Cowart and McCullough were arrested and charged with felony neglect to a disabled adult, along with several other charges. They were indicted Dec. 15, 2023 via a true bill in the Superior Court of Candler County.
At that time, Hube wrote: “Mr. Cowart has dedicated his entire career to providing the highest quality care to the residents of the facilities he owns and operates. His actions related to this matter were taken to protect the well-being of the residents and staff of Southern Manor at Candler.”
In his emailed statement, Barber wrote: “I am very confident and have no doubt when all the facts are known that Mrs. McCullough will be totally exonerated in this matter.”