Local

Union Co. leader asks DSS to investigate all cases involving jailed DSS supervisor

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — On Sunday a Union County leader will ask the DSS to investigate all cases handled under a supervisor who is now in jail, charged with child abuse.

"I'm not an attorney and I'm not an investigator but I was not born yesterday. One person does not break a system by themselves."

Indian Trail's Mayor Michael Alvarez said it is time to shine the spotlight on the Department of Social Services in Union County.

Alvarez said he was outraged after the arrest of former DSS supervisor Wanda Larson and her husband, Dorian Harper.

Authorities said they found the couple's 11-year-old son handcuffed to Larson's porch with a dead chicken tied around his neck.

"I was disgusted. It's unacceptable, there's nothing a child could ever do to warrant a punishment like that," he said.

That child and four others were removed from the home and placed in DSS custody.

On Friday the county fired Larson.

Alvarez said he was contacted by several families in Indian Trail to do something following the couple's arrest.

The mayor is urging members of the county commission to demand that DSS reopen every case that went before Larson's desk.

"We can start with the ones that she dealt with, but in my opinion every case that went through DSS since the day she was employed needs to be looked at," said Alvarez.

"We entrust them to provide the service and protect our children," he said, "And when one of them abuses the system they've lost our trust wasted our money and ruined our most valued resource which is our children."

Alvarez says he also supports the creation of a citizen's advisory board that oversees DSS.