A local social services official charged in the use of custody and visitation agreements has resigned.
Cynthia Raxtor Palmer tendered her resignation on Sept. 27. Her last workday was Oct. 8. Her personnel action form says she is ineligible for rehire as a county employee.
Palmer, a former director for the Cherokee County Department of Social Services, is one of several parties named in civil lawsuits regarding the use of custody and visitation agreements, which allow parents or guardians to relinquish custody of minors without court involvement.
Palmer became interim director of DSS in August 2015 and was appointed to the position full time in March 2016. She resigned as director in June 2018 amid the state’s investigation into the use of CVAs but was placed back in the role of business officer, a position she held for 11 years prior to being named director.
Palmer, former DSS attorney Scott Lindsay and former DSS supervisor David Alan Hughes were also criminally charged in the use of CVAs. Hughes pled guilty to two misdemeanors earlier this year as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, who dismissed 10 counts of felony obstruction of justice in exchange for truthful testimony “in any proceeding.”
Meanwhile, Palmer and Lindsay have accused prosecutors of engaging in “selective prosecution,” arguing that CVAs had been used for years and that others involved in the practice have not been charged with a crime. Court documents say CVAs had been available in Cherokee County since at least 2000 for those who wanted to use them.
Lindsay further argues that CVAs are not illegal because state law allows parents to agree to a contract between themselves regarding custody of their minor children. Palmer and Lindsay are each scheduled to appear in Cherokee County court regarding the criminal charges Monday.