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Nursing home administrator held accountable for what happened inside Raleigh Court Health and Rehab

A warning, some may find the details within this story disturbing

(Copyright WSLS 2025)

ROANOKE, Va. – Police investigated multiple reports of possible neglect at a Roanoke nursing home but no charges were ever filed. That left local families frustrated that no one was being held accountable for what happened to their loved ones... until now.

10 News did many stories on Raleigh Court Health and Rehabilitation Center and concerns families had during COVID-19. Families said their loved ones were neglected and died because of the lack of care they were getting.

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Now, the administrator of the nursing home during that time is being held accountable. A state board heard what happened and placed him on indefinite probation for two years with additional terms and conditions. A warning, some may find the details within this story disturbing.

After years of waiting, families finally had a chance to see some justice after saying their loved ones weren’t taken care of properly at Raleigh Court Health and Rehab.

Chance Craft was the nursing home administrator at the time. He had to go before the Virginia Board of Long-Term Care Administrators in December 2024, where he was placed on indefinite probation for at least two years.

During a 10-hour hearing, the board heard about three specific patients and what happened while he managed the nursing home.

86-year-old Lillian Gregory fell at home in October 2020, broke her femur and never recovered.

[RELATED: ‘She was in deplorable condition’: Allegations of neglect in a Roanoke nursing home]

“I miss calling her every morning. It hurts,” said Jim Gregory, Lillian’s son, when 10 News talked with him previously in 2021.

He was at the hearing and his brother Bill Gregory testified by phone. Their mother was taken from Raleigh Court to the ER after Jim saw her in person.

“The two doctors called in the forensic nurse to review my mother’s condition, and she said it was one of the worst cases she’d had ever seen as well,” said Bill.

A forensic nurse at the emergency room who examined Gregory testified at the hearing that she had extensive wounds, was severely dehydrated and showed physical signs of neglect and injury.

“Her tongue was black. Her teeth were missing. The teeth that were there were black. Her toes were orange. The bedding was soiled still, wet,” remembered Jim Gregory.

At the time, Roanoke City Adult Protective Services investigated and sent this letter saying “…there is a preponderance of evidence that Lillian Gregory was a victim of abuse, neglect or exploitation…”

Lillian Gregory died two months after she was first admitted to Raleigh Court.

The board also heard about ‘Resident B,’ a 97-year-old woman who was brought to the hospital with “a large amount of dried fecal matter in her diaper” and on her body but “had on a clean diaper.” The warrant says she was “raw and red”… “due to the large amount of fecal matter.”

And a third woman who according to the documents “told a nurse at Raleigh Court in December 2020 that she was sexually assaulted by an employee”... but the “facility did not complete a Report, nor did anyone contact the appropriate agencies” or the woman’s family, according to the Findings of Fact set forth in the December 12, 2024 order issued by the Virginia Board of Long-Term Care Administrators.

After hours of testimony and witnesses, the board found “Craft failed to provide or obtain... The necessary services required to maintain good grooming, personal and oral hygiene, and proper foot care” for Lillian Gregory.

The Virginia Board of Long-term Care Administrators also says, “The evidence showed a systemic failure of nursing and physician services at Raleigh Court. Mr. Craft failed to demonstrate he understood his responsibilities when providing oversight of the facility.”

He is now on indefinite probation for at least two years.

“It’s a legal system. It’s not a justice system because there was no justice in it. Not to me and my brothers and certainly not to the other families of these people that they abused. You know, my mother lived 86 years and the last three months of her life were hell on earth. That’s a terrible thing, you know, terrible way to go. We would have never have done that had we known anything about it. We would have taken her out of there immediately,” said Bill Gregory.

“I was very pleased to hear that the state of Virginia did fault Raleigh Court Health and Rehab,” said Julie Parsons.

Julie Parsons spent her last day with her 96-year-old grandmother, Helen Norfleet, back in November 2020.

Norfleet wasn’t one of the women talked about during the hearing, but as 10 News reported she went through a decline while living in the facility. With documented bruises, bed sores, and getting an infection on her toes, requiring amputation, before dying in the hospital.

[RELATED: Roanoke nursing home being investigated for possible neglect after two police reports were filed, resident had two toes amputated]

“We entrusted my nanny with these qualified individuals to take care of her,” said Parsons. “If I had the chance to talk to Mr. Craft, I would say, ‘Shame on you. Shame on you for allowing these innocent, vulnerable individuals to be treated with such disrespect.’”

Parsons says the discipline isn’t enough.

“But I don’t feel that that’s fair. You continue to be able to keep your license, but my nanny wasn’t able to keep her life. To some degree, I’m relieved and have some peace that there is finally some light that is being shed on this situation four years later.” said Parsons.

“He caused a lot of pain, a lot of suffering, not only to the patients, but to all of the families. That’s something I’ll live with till the day I die and my brothers as well. We feel we failed our mother,” said Bill Gregory.

[RELATED: Family member responds after learning no charges will be filed in Roanoke nursing home investigation]

The Roanoke Commonwealth’s attorney did not bring charges in any of these cases, but the Virginia Attorney General’s office was part of this hearing on behalf of the Commonwealth.

The Attorney General of Virginia’s office didn’t want to go on camera, but sent 10 News a statement saying,

“The Office of the Attorney General of Virginia considers the health, safety, and well-being of all of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia a paramount responsibility.

Residents of licensed long-term care facilities are some of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens, and the Office of the Attorney General and the Virginia Board of Long-Term Care Administrators are dedicated to ensuring those citizens are protected. We are very pleased with the outcome in this matter, and this Office will continue to ensure that the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable populations are protected by taking appropriate measures when licensed long-term care facilities fail to ensure the proper care for their residents.”

We reached out to Craft’s attorneys, but have yet to hear back.

To see the steps you can take if you have concerns about a loved one, including how to find your local ombudsman’s office click here.

If you want to take a look at reports concerning this facility or any other you can look up reports on the VDH website here.


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About the Author
Jenna Zibton headshot

You can see Jenna weekday mornings at the anchor desk on WSLS 10 Today from 5-7 a.m. She also leads our monthly Solutionaries Series, where we highlight the creative thinkers and doers working to make the world a better place.