York Springs, Pa. - The Whispering Pines Assisted Living facility in York Springs, Adams County is now closed. The residents moved out Friday morning and police arrested one of the owners.

Residents say it was a sad day for the facility, some calling the whole ordeal a nightmare. An emergency closure order from the state on Friday shut down the assisted living home, leaving residents only about 24 hours to pack up and move on.

"If I had a choice, I would like to stay," said Betty Jones as she and fellow resident Doris Yeater waited for a ride to their new homes. They say they will miss Whispering Pines.

"Very nice, they were all good to us," Yeater said.

But not everyone agrees. "I don't want to repeat some of the stuff that went on here," Larry Smith said as he helped to move his brother-in-law to another facility. "It wasn't good, that's why they're closing."

The state Department of Public Welfare says the owners told cooks not to prepare dinner for residents on Thursday. The department also claims co-owner Phil Harris told employees not to show up for work.

The Harrises deny the accusations and say every resident was cared for until they left. "It was unclear because if you cease operations that means that you were supposed to stop feeding them, stop clothing them, so we were confused, co-owner Julia Harris said. "You want us to cease operations, but you want us to take care of these residents until everybody is removed."

The Harrises say they tried to appeal the violations, but were denied. They say the violations were corrected, things such as rat feces in the kitchen, what appeared to be blood-stained towels in a bathroom, and some residents not getting their proper medications.

"Every single personal care home in the state, there is going to be times in which medication wasn't done. It happens in every hospital, it happens in every nursing home, mistakes happen," Phil Harris said.

Julia Harris was arrested on disorderly conduct and obstruction charges Friday morning. After her release, she said she was just trying to stand up for the residents who she considers to be her family. "I was very emotional this morning and I hate to see my family leaving because these are my family members."

The Harrises say they were hoping for a second chance, but say it never came, and now all they can do is move on. "We did not lose hope until today, Julia Harris said.

"I won't be opening another personal care home, that's for sure," Phil Harris said.

The Agency on Aging in Adams County helped move many of the residents out of Whispering Pines. They say everyone will have a place to sleep. There is not enough room at any one facility to keep all the residents together.

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