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Cherokee County DSS Indictments Shed Light On Unlawful Family Separations

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,
Stacia Brown
Published May 26, 2020 at 3:49 PM EDT
Credit Frank Taylor/Carolina Public Press

In North Carolina it is unlawful to separate a child from a biological parent without the oversight of a judge. But in Cherokee County, a grand jury has indicted at least three current and former Department of Social Services officials for allegedly doing just that. 

Host Frank Stasio talks to Carolina Public Press investigative reporter Kate Martin about the indictment of three current and former Cherokee County DSS officials.

Cindy Palmer, former Cherokee County DSS director; David Hughes, former child protective unit supervisor; and Scott Lindsay, former DSS attorney were charged last week with more than three dozen felonies and misdemeanors, including obstruction of justice and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Host Frank Stasio talks to Kate Martin, investigative reporter for Carolina Public Press, about what is at stake in the case. 

Copyright 2020 North Carolina Public Radio
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio
Stacia Brown
Stacia Brown comes to WUNC from Washington, DC, where she was a producer for WAMU’s daily news radio program, 1A. She’s the creator and host of two podcasts, The Rise of Charm City and Hope Chest. Her audio projects have been featured on Scene on Radio, a podcast of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University; BBC 4’s Short Cuts; and American Public Radio’s Terrible, Thanks for Asking.
See stories by Stacia Brown