UNNAMED BOY -11 yo - / Charged: Foster parents, Dorian Lee Harper and Wanda Sue Larson - Union County, NC

NC child found handcuffed to porch with dead chicken around his neck

Posted on: 11:24 am, November 16, 2013

NC child found handcuffed to porch with dead chicken around his neck
Posted on: 11:24 am, November 16, 2013,  updated on: 11:00pm, November 16, 2013



Dorian Lee Harper and Wanda Sue Larson, both 57, and of Union County.



UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A North Carolina married couple was arrested after authorities said a child was found handcuffed to a porch with a dead chicken around his neck.

The News & Observer reported that Dorian Lee Harper and Wanda Sue Larson, both 57 and of Union County, face various charges including child abuse.

Union County deputies said they were investigating an animal service complaint Friday at a neighboring home when the child was discovered at 4116 Austin Road, south of Monroe.

The investigating deputy said he came across a shivering child handcuffed by the ankle to the railing. The child was described as being around 10-12 years old.

Moments later, deputies said a man appeared on the porch along with another child that released several dogs on the officer.

The deputy reportedly went back to his patrol car and the man then removed the handcuffed child from the porch and put the dead chicken on a barrel.

Deputies said one of the suspects, Larson, is a Child Protective Services supervisor in Union County.

Officials said she and her husband had adopted four children and were serving as foster parents for a fifth child.

Deputies said when they searched the home shortly later; they found five children, ages 8, 9, 11, 13 and 14. Authorities said the children have been removed from the home.

Deputies said the suspects were charged with intentional child abuse inflicting serious injury, false imprisonment and cruelty to animals.

They were both placed in the Union County Jail and have court planned for Monday. Harper was given a $500,000 bond and Larson a $525,000 bond.


http://myfox8.com/2013/11/16/nc-couple-charged-after-child-found-in-handcuffs/

Boy found handcuffed on porch with dead chicken on his neck, police say




Fri Nov 15 19:18:52 PST 2013

DSS supervisor, ER nurse charged in abuse of boy, 11
Two people, including a social services employee and an ER nurse, face criminal charges after a Union County deputy found the 11-year-old cuffed to the porch with a dead chicken hanging around his neck. 



By Simon Moya-Smith, Staff Writer, NBC News

An 11-year-old boy who was handcuffed to a porch with a dead chicken draped around his neck was found by a deputy searching for a loose pig, authorities said Saturday.

A Union County sheriff's deputy had responded to a complaint of swine roaming a resident's yard in Monroe, N.C., when the deputy saw the boy handcuffed and shivering. The child was discovered around 9:30 a.m. local time in frigid temperatures, Capt. Ronnie Whitaker told NBC News.

Dorian Lee Harper, the boy's foster parent, emerged and asked the deputy why he was there, Whitaker said. The deputy asked the 57-year-old man for identification. Another child opened the door, releasing several dogs that chased the deputy back to his cruiser, Whitaker said.

By the time back-up units arrived and the dogs were secured, the man had removed the 11-year-old boy from the porch, but left the dead chicken on a nearby barrel, Whitaker said.

Deputies searched the house and found five children, ages 14, 13, 11, 9 and 8. The children were taken from the home and the man was placed under arrest. 

Union County Sheriff's Office
Dorian Lee Harper, left, and Wanda Sue Larson are charged with child abuse.

A second foster parent, Wanda Sue Larson, 57, was not home at the time of the incident, but was arrested when she arrived later at the sheriff's office.

Both are charged with intentional child abuse, inflicting serious injury, false imprisonment and cruelty to animals, according to a police report.

Larson is a supervisor with the Union County Department of Social Services, and Harper is an emergency room nurse.

Larson is accused of being complicit in mistreatment of the children. She also was charged with willful failure to discharge her duty as a public official.

Carolina's Healthcare System confirmed Saturday that Harper has been placed on administrative leave, NBC station WCNC of Charlotte reported.

Whitaker said that because of the investigation he could not disclose whether Harper could explain why the boy was handcuffed to the porch and a dead chicken was hanging on his neck.

Harper and Larson adopted four of the children. The pair had been fostering the fifth, the child handcuffed to the porch, WCNC reported.

Sheriff Eddie Cathey called the case "shocking."

“I can assure you that we have only just begun our investigation into what has happened, and we will pursue it to its fullest extent,” he told WCNC.

Harper and Larson were being held in the Union County Jail. Harper's bail was set to $500,000, and Larson’s was set at $525,000. The five children are with an undisclosed social services agency outside of the county.


http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/16/21496912-boy-found-handcuffed-on-porch-with-dead-chicken-on-his-neck-police-say

SNIPPED:
Foster parents of cuffed child want lawyers

Next hearing set for Jan. 7

UPDATED 3:32 PM EST Nov 18, 2013

"The 11-year-old foster child -- who was found on Harper and Larson's front porch -- and four adopted children, ages 8, 9, 13 and 14, were removed from the couple's home last week because of the disturbing living conditions inside. A sheriff's deputy discovered the boy on the porch when responding to an animal complaint at a neighbor's house. The five children are now in the custody of an outside agency.

"It was filthy, feces on the floor, holes in the wall," Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey said. "The bathroom, you could see from outside of the hall into the bathroom. Sink was trashed. No running water."

CNN's Nick Valencia, who visited the house, reported that the property -- which sits on 30 acres south of Monroe, North Carolina -- had piles of garbage and abandoned and rusted-out vehicles in the yard. He also said the area smelled overwhelmingly of urine and feces.

The aunt of three of the children removed from the home, including the 11-year-old foster child, told CNN Monday about how the children were severely punished.

"If you came to the table late you were not allowed but a half of your plate of food. Then you do not get the next meal. If you do not do your chores or listen to her then you do not get your meals that day. If you do not finish your school work on time then you are therefore not allowed to leave your room, and they were put inside their room and chained in there," Cindy Robbins said.

Cathey said there was a room where the 11-year-old was cuffed overnight to a 3-foot piece of railroad. He also said four of the children, including the 11-year-old, slept on blankets in the room.

Neighbor Steve Mills recounted an incident from the summer when one of the children asked him for food.

"The littlest one was running up the street, crying, hollering, he was panicking, come up here (and said), 'Mister, can I have something to eat, I'm starving. Can I come in please?' My wife was going to go in there and make him a sandwich if he's hungry," Mills told CNN.
"We didn't think anything of it because the other two boys came up, saying, 'He's new.' So we just figured he was just getting used to the area and being with a new family and his new siblings and so we thought nothing of it."

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 7.

Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/news/national/Foster-parents-of-cuffed-child-want-lawyers/-/9379440/23031528/-/d67kbkz/-/index.html#ixzz2l2XWZDW9

Twink, I accidentally came across this story while looking for the shooting incident about 10 miles from where I live (no attention span whatsoever  ) It always astounds, shocks and angers me when people know of horrible conditions and gross mistreatment of children and do nothing.  I'm thankful these children were found instead of being chained for years or possibly being killed.  I'm certain that God intervened in their behalf and made the animal complaint necessary  

Hi Ladibug.  

It bothered me that this abuse was accidentally discovered.  Someone could call LE about a pig and yet no one could call about this obvious abuse.

Thank heavens for the cop who fulfilled his duty.

Did you notice the occupation on the POS woman.  That really chaps my hide.

State Of North Carolina Accused Of Ignoring Child Abuse Allegations Against Own Employee, Wanda Sue Larson

By Kathryn Schroeder, Sat, December 14, 2013

The State of North Carolina has been accused of ignoring child abuse by one of the state's own employees, Wanda Sue Larson, a Department of Social Services supervisor in Monroe, Union County, and her partner Dorian Harper, an emergency room nurse.

Last month Wanda Sue Larson and Dorian Harper were arrested when an 11-year-old boy they were guardian's of was found handcuffed to a porch with a dead chicken around his neck, as reported by WITN. The indictment also includes other abuse towards the boy in their care, including chaining him to a piece of railroad track in his room, Harper cutting the boys face with a knife, and using an electric wire to burn his face.

Bob Goodale, a former corporate executive and deputy secretary of the state Department of Commerce, reported the possible abuse to state officials more than a year ago and is appalled by the allegations, according to WRAL. His daughter is a teacher at the boy's school, Union Academy Charter School in Monroe, and she came to him for help due to his ties in state government.

Speaking with WRAL, Goodale's daughter said the "boy and the other children living with Larson and Harper were continually dirty and hungry, and [teachers] worried about child neglect, especially after the children were pulled out of Union Academy to be home-schooled," and "Teachers didn't know where to turn, she said, because Larson worked in the Union County DSS office."

An email chain has been found containing evidence that the state Division of Social Services knew about the Union County case, but there is no proof they ever followed up with the the concerned Union Academy teachers, reports WRAL.

The county Department of Social Services spokeswoman Julie Henry wrote an email to WRAL addressing the accusations against the state ignoring the abuse case. Henry writes, "By law, the county Department of Social Services is the agency that has the authority to accept and screen child protective service reports. It is protocol for the state to refer any reports of abuse to the county DSS office...We encourage anyone to reach out to their county Department of Social Services if they suspect that a child is being abused or neglected."

The problem in this case is that the abuser in question was a DSS employee.

State officials have since agreed to review how adoptions, foster care assignments, and child protection cases are handled by employees while child advocacy groups are calling for outside groups, like the state Attorney General's Office, to investigate.

Larson and Harper remain in jail, awaiting trial, and the boy in question, as well as the three others who were under Larson and Harper's care, have been removed from the home and are in the custody of the Davidson County Division of Social Services.


http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/state-north-carolina-accused-ignoring-child-abuse-allegations-against-own-employee-wanda

Posted: December 13

State accused of ignoring signs of abuse of handcuffed Union boy

MONROE, N.C. — Months before an 11-year-old boy was found handcuffed to a porch in Union County in November with a dead chicken tied to his neck, teachers at the boy's former school tried to alert authorities that he might be a victim of child neglect.

The boy's guardians, Wanda Sue Larson and Dorian Harper, have been indicted on 21 charges in connection with abuse that investigators say occurred in their home between August and November. The Monroe couple, both 57, are also accused of chaining the boy to a piece of railroad track in his room – he once broke his wrist trying to escape – and Harper is accused of cutting the boy's face with a knife and using an electric wire to burn his face.

Larson and Harper have been fired from their respective jobs as a supervisor with the local Department of Social Services and an emergency room nurse. Both remain in jail awaiting trial, and the boy and four other children have been removed from the home and are in the custody of the Davidson County Division of Social Services.

Bob Goodale, a former corporate executive and deputy secretary of the state Department of Commerce, said Friday that he's "appalled" by the allegations, especially because he tried to alert state officials to possible abuse more than a year ago.

Goodale's daughter is a teacher at Union Academy Charter School in Monroe, where the boy attended, and she contacted him for help because of his connections in state government.

She said she and other faculty members noticed the boy and the other children living with Larson and Harper were continually dirty and hungry, and they worried about child neglect, especially after the children were pulled out of Union Academy to be home-schooled.

Teachers didn't know where to turn, she said, because Larson worked in the Union County DSS office.

"The problem was this was a DSS employee in the key job," said Goodale, who lives in Raleigh. "Where was the state DSS?"

WRAL News obtained an email chain confirming that Goodale contacted the state Division of Social Services about the Union County case, but there's no indication that the state ever followed up with the Union Academy teachers.

DHHS spokeswoman Julie Henry said Friday that all abuse cases are handled at the county level.

"By law, the county Department of Social Services is the agency that has the authority to accept and screen child protective service reports. It is protocol for the state to refer any reports of abuse to the county DSS office," Henry wrote in an email to WRAL News. "We encourage anyone to reach out to their county Department of Social Services if they suspect that a child is being abused or neglected."

What if the accused is a DSS supervisor? Goodale said he hopes who's in charge of investigating DSS will become part of a broader look at North Carolina's child welfare system.

"Clearly, there needs to be reform," he said, blaming the system and even himself for not pushing harder about the warning signs in the case. "We need to learn from this and take all possible steps to ensure this never, never happens again."

State officials have agreed to Union County's request to review how employees handle adoptions, foster care and child protection. Child advocacy groups have called for an outside group, such as the state Attorney General's Office, to investigate.

http://www.wral.com/state-accused-of-ignoring-signs-of-abuse-of-handcuffed-union-boy/13214312/