Murphy – After an internal investigation conducted by the Cherokee County Department of Social Services, business officer Cindy Palmer has returned to work.
Palmer was placed on investigatory leave on May 18, after a Cherokee County grand jury issued indictments charging her and two former DSS officials with criminal offenses related to the use of custody and visitation agreements.
Known informally as CVAs, custody and visitation agreements are not recognized by the state as a legal document or process because it allows minor children to be removed from their parents without court involvement, a violation of North Carolina law. Essentially, a CVA usurps due process, strips parents of their rights to counsel and does not afford parents the ability to mitigate the reason that brought the case to DSS in the first place.
Court documents accuse Palmer, former child protective services unit supervisor David Hughes and former DSS attorney Scott Lindsay of using CVAs on numerous occasions in 2016 and 2017. Court documents charging Hughes and Lindsay also allege that at least one instance occurred in October 2014.
Hughes and Lindsay were charged with 12 and 23 criminal counts, respectively.
Meanwhile, Palmer was charged with six separate crimes, including perjury, after allegedly claiming in a February 2018 court hearing that “the first time I ever recall hearing of [a CVA] was Dec. 6, 2017, when I received a call from Mr. Lindsay about a similar agreement.”
Documents allege that two children, ages 4 and 10, were taken from their legal custodian due to the use of CVAs.
The accusations against Palmer allegedly occurred while she served as director of Cherokee County DSS, a position from which she resigned in June 2018 amid the state’s investigation into the use of CVAs. However, she was shortly placed back in the role of business officer, a position she held for 11 years prior to being named director.
The internal investigation that took place following the indictments determined that “there was no evidence of a current incident of unacceptable personal conduct or grossly inefficient job performance,” according to a release issued by DSS Director Amanda McGee. State law says “employees may be dismissed for a current incident of unacceptable personal conduct,” and dismissal for ineffective work must be “on the basis of a current incident of grossly inefficient job performance.”
Palmer returned to work Thursday. If she is convicted of a crime related to the use of CVAs, officials say her employment status with DSS will be revisited.
Business officer returns to work at DSS
Body