CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina senator wants state officials to take over operations of the Union County Department of Social Services after a child abuse case.
The Charlotte Observer reported (http://bit.ly/L47Xkm) that Waxhaw Sen. Tommy Tucker has asked state health officials to take over day-to-day operations in Union County.
Officials are investigating an 11-year-old boy who was handcuffed to the porch of his guardian’s home in the Monroe area, with a dead chicken around his neck.
The boy’s apparent guardian, Wanda Larson, was a child protective services supervisor with the Union County DSS office. Larson and her boyfriend have been charged with child abuse.
State DSS Director Wayne Black says his agency can take over a local office only if it is not cooperating. Black says that is not the case.