NC - Dorian Harper & Wanda Larson for abuse of foster child, Monroe, 2013

WBTV News ‏@WBTV_News 3h
Per @ssmithwbtv Couple appeared in court after foster child found handcuffed to front porch. Each held on $500k+ bond. Boy's family in court

Kathryn Burcham ‏@KathrynBurcham 9s

Officials in @UnionCountyNC are also refusing all interviews, on tv or over the phone, on this issue

.@UnionCountyNC statement: none of 5 kids were placed in #WandaLarson home during her tenure at Union Co DSS @WSOC_TV

.@UnionCountyNC statement: "express concerns and compassion for children who are victims of the abuse recently discovered..." @WSOC_TV

Another neighbor, who asked that her name not be used, said a boy appeared on her porch in May 2012, “purple” with cold, with no coat, saying he was hungry. When asked, he said he had no mother or father and didn’t know where he lived.

She brought him inside and fed him a sandwich: “It didn’t take him 10 seconds to eat it,” she said. He told her he was 10 years old, and that he had slept in her barn, behind her house, the night before. When she told him she would take him home, she said, he answered: “No. I want to stay here.”

Her daughter called 911, she said, and a sheriff’s deputy came out, spoke with the boy, made a phone call, then told him she’d take him home. “He didn’t refuse. He just went with her.”

The neighbor said the deputy let her know she had returned him to his foster parents and said the man insisted the boy hadn’t been missing more than 30 minutes. The neighbor believes it was the Harper-Larson home. “I know that’s where she took him (although) you can’t see the house from the road.”

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/20...n-court-after.html#.UoqHEsSsh8F#storylink=cpy

Monday afternoon, the Union County Department of Social Services released the following statement:
Union County officials wish to express our concerns and compassion for the children who are victims of the abuse that was recently discovered in our county, and we wish to assure the public that this matter is being addressed with all deliberate speed. The children are currently in the custody of the social services department of another county, and they are receiving good care. None of the five children in the home of Mr. Harper and Ms. Larson were placed by Union County during the time that Ms. Larson has been employed by the Union County Department of Social Services.

The criminal aspects of this matter are being investigated by appropriate law enforcement officials. Further, Union County has asked that the State Division of Social Services conduct an independent investigation into all aspects of this matter as well as into the procedures related to Child Protective Services, Adoptions and Foster Care.

Due to legal requirements, Union County is limited in the information that it can disclose at the present time. This is due to the ongoing criminal investigation and to laws designed to protect the privacy of the children involved. However, Union County officials wish to reassure the public that the county is working with law enforcement officials and the state, with the view that those responsible for this incident will be held accountable, and that such an event cannot and will not ever be repeated in our community.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/crime/Sheriff-Boy-was-handcuffed--232289971.html

More about homeschooling aspect.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/home-woman-accused-child-neglect-registered-home-s/nbxG9/

Family of handcuffed boy: We've reported this abuse for years

The boy's biological family believes Larson's position with D.S.S. is why their concerns have gone ignored.

"We have, for over three years, been reporting to DSS of belt marks on the children. Hand prints on their faces. The children have been denied food," said Cindy Robbins.

Meanwhile, advocates are calling for a broader investigation into the county D.S.S.

"I think personally, any case that she's signed off on within the past year should be reviewed again by an outside agency," said Jeremy Bess.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/Family-of-handcuffed-boy-Weve-reported-this-abuse-for-years-232424421.html

scmom said:

Maybe these two "parents" could benefit from some parenting classes when they get to prison. I'm sure Elisa Baker could give them some pointers on homeschooling also.

Click to expand...

LOL these two are in the positions that they could be and may have already taught parenting classes.


Those barrels I see in the pics of the yard plus all the chickens. It makes me wonder if perhaps one or both were involved in chicken fighting.

stays firmly seated on hands.

Come on tlcya....

This is a crazy crazy story. I thought I've heard it all. A dead chicken around the neck????

The home isn't fit for a dying dog much less a human. Get those kids and animals outta there!!!

As a former FL resident/newish NC resident, I really hope we don't become the new FL with this stuff. So many awful NC stories lately.

Waiting to hear there will be more charges brought against this fine pair. I'll bet the children are just full of information.

Larson has been suspended from her job now. BTW she's been employed with DSS since 2003 so I don't know why DSS would say the children were not adopted while she was employed there. More to come to explain that I guess.
http://www.wbtv.com/story/23985343/...uffed-to-porchclienttypegenericmobilecgbypass

Gaston County DSS was responsible for placement of the children with the couple, so Union County is snow white and lily pure. (IMO backing away as fast as possible from any culpability.) Dorian Harper was supposed to be homeschooling the 11 year old boy.
http://www.wbtv.com/story/23985343/...uffed-to-porchclienttypegenericmobilecgbypass

WBTV News @WBTV_News
Union County Sheriff says case of alleged abuse of a foster child, involving DSS worker, is far from over. http://bit.ly/186565o

Sheriff Eddie Cathey says his staff will be contacting everyone who has come in contact with Larson and her foster child. His department will be working with the state to find out how a worker hired to protect children is charged with abusing them.

We are also checking to see if Larson used to be a caseworker with Gaston County Department of Social Services.

WBTV's Dedrick Russell is checking with Gaston County for more information. He will have the latest on WBTV News at 5 and 6.

Could this lady have padded her resume?

Tony Burbeck WCNC ‏@TonyWCNC 6m

parents of kids under arrested DSS worker's care says they were told "kids will be kids" type stuff when they expressed their concerns

Mother of 2 other kids who also lived with arrested DSS investigator says she too reported suspected abuse several times

mother of 11 year old allegedly abused by DSS worker says she reported mistreatment several times, but complaints went nowhere.

mother of 11 yr old found handcuffed to porch w/dead chicken around his neck says she suspected mistreatment by DSS worker caring for him.

Ugh, I wonder if they were reading this book:

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - To train up a child, book has lead to the death of 3 children

Couple's older son speaks out on abuse allegations

The adopted son of the Union County couple accused of abusing their children defends their character saying, they are "loving" parents.

The man, did not want to be identified. He says he came to live with Wanda Larson and Dorian Harper when he was 14 years old.

He lived under their roof, under their rules, up until two years ago, when he turned 18.

"I grew up in a caring and loving home," he said.

The "punishment," he received at the home he thought was fair and "fit the crime."

snipped

When asked about why his 11 year old sibling would have a dead chicken tied around his neck, he said, "more than likely, the chicken around the neck, was to shame the child. There has to be something going on, between that child and that chicken. He either, one, didn't feed it and it died, or two, either he was out there harassing the chicken. He may have killed the chicken. This child has been known to be cruel to animals," he said.

To his knowledge, the 11year-old boy has been living with the couple since he was 6.

snipped

"Everyone says this is some sweet innocent kid when in actuality, he is not. He has been to counseling, he is on numerous heavy medications, but nothing has worked," he said.

snipped

The accusations, the boy was underfed, he said are also not true. He blames the boy's small frame on a medical condition that stunted his growth since birth.

"He is the type of child when everybody goes to bed at night, he gets up, sneaks downstairs and steals food," he said.

When asked if that was a sign he was not being properly nourished, he replied, "he would sneak out into the garage take raw meat out of the freezer, let it thaw overnight and next day go out there and eat it raw," he said.

"He has severe psychological issues."

"He was not allowed to carry his own lunch box because would eat what food is in his lunch and then, throw the lunch box away and say he didn't have lunch for the day."

snipped

"Everyone assumed all five children in the home have been abused, that is not accurate. You ask all four of the children, they will say they lived in a loving and caring home."

The 11 year old's relatives say they have tried for years to get DSS to look into the allegations of abuse.

They claim to have pictures to prove the child was physically abused and plan to turn it over as evidence to authorities.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Union-County-couples-son-speaks-out-on-abuse--232472731.html

The accusations, the boy was underfed, he said are also not true. He blames the boy's small frame on a medical condition that stunted his growth since birth.

"He is the type of child when everybody goes to bed at night, he gets up, sneaks downstairs and steals food," he said.

When asked if that was a sign he was not being properly nourished, he replied, "he would sneak out into the garage take raw meat out of the freezer, let it thaw overnight and next day go out there and eat it raw," he said.

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snipped by me

That kind of rabid appetite can be a medical red flag. He should have been assessed by a doctor, not for "psychological issues" but for a physical concern. Also, food hoarding and food sneaking can both be symptoms of serious neglect/abuse. I don't doubt the child was experiencing psychological issues as well, but who wouldn't be.

ETA: I see in one of the stories quoted upthread that a neighbor said the boy had been denied food. Which would explain his disordered eating and the food sneaking. IIRC Hana Williams exhibited the same pattern. Awful.

"I always thought my son was too skinny," the 11-year-old boy's mother said Tuesday during a phone interview. She does not want to be identified. She says her son always complained about being hungry and even went to a neighbor's house begging for food.

The mother says the answer she got from Larson is her son has a fast metabolism.

The mother says other concerns bothered the bother too, including why her son always seemed to smell like animal urine and didn't want to talk about his care inside Larson's house.

She says marks on her son's body were chalked up as an 11-year-old boy being an 11-year-old boy.

snipped

The 11-year-old boy's mother isn't the only one to complain.

The mother of an 8 and 9 year old who were also under Larson and Harper's care as guardians says her kids were treated well, but she kept noticing problems with the 11 year old and told DSS.

That mother, who also doesn't want to be identified, says the response she got from DSS was continual reporting could jeopardize her visitation.

snipped

She says her son has some issues including ADHD and depression.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/crime/Biolgical-mother-of-boy--232576741.html