BRYSON CITY — Two social service workers in North Carolina have been accused of falsifying records and indicted on obstruction of justice charges in the investigation of the death of a 1-year-old girl.
Candice Lassiter and Craig Smith were indicted Tuesday. Lassiter also faces forgery charges.
Smith was a social worker for the Swain County Department of Social Services and Lassiter was his supervisor. Police said after Aubrey Littlejohn's death about a year ago, Lassiter ordered Smith to falsify records to make it appear as though the department had done a thorough investigation into allegations that Aubrey was being abused by her great-aunt, LadyBird Powell, who was the girl's caretaker.
A state medical examiner said Aubrey died of undetermined causes, but noted bruises and broken bones.
An Associated Press investigation found that police and social workers had been aware of reports the little girl was being mistreated while she was staying with Powell. Two months before Aubrey died, authorities removed a different child from Powell's home but left Aubrey behind.
Powell was charged last week with second-degree murder in the Aubrey's death. She's being held on a $1 million bond. Attempts to reach an attorney representing her have been unsuccessful.
An attorney representing Aubrey said the indictments show an expanding probe, but more needs to be done.
"There were other social workers who did nothing to protect this child," attorney David Wijewickrama said Wednesday. "And when Aubrey died, they were more concerned about protecting themselves than digging for the truth. It's very painful to the family that this has gone on so long. That so many people lied to the family. We just want justice for Aubrey."
Aubrey was left in Powell's care by her mother, Jasmine Littlejohn, who was facing jail time on drug charges.
Smith's attorney said he was still reviewing the grand jury's indictment. Lassiter couldn't be immediately reached.
Smith left the agency shortly after Aubrey's death. The head of the Swain County social services agency, Tammy Cagle, was fired within weeks of Aubrey's death for what county commissioners said were unrelated reasons.
According to the indictment, Lassiter "forged information which showed that the child would be 'conditionally safe' in the home of LadyBird Powell."
The indictment claims Lassiter forged Powell's signature on several documents required of caregivers in cases where abuse is alleged, including one saying an investigation into reports that Aubrey was abuse was completed Oct. 11, 2010. Authorities said that was wrong, and the investigation was still ongoing at the time.
After Aubrey's death, Lassiter instructed Smith to create a fabricated report that included an interview with an emergency room doctor who had supposedly examined Aubrey after she was spotted with bruises and said she was fine, the indictment said. The purpose was "to obstruct, delay and/or prevent an investigation into the death of Aubrey Littlejohn," the indictment said.
Lassiter and Smith are scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 27.
Comments
Let's protect the title of
Let's protect the title of social worker first. The issue to be addressed is the fact that DSS is exempt from NC General Statue 90B which requires businesses recruiting social workers to hire only those with a degree in social work. The direct statue is 90B-10, which was put into place because the State knows that social work ethics and the business of DSS do not mingle. Social workers are not taught to provide handouts so if DSS was made to abide by this law they would have to change their whole operation. Many "social workers" at DSS do not have the skills to be working with individuals as most of them hold degrees ranging from science to business. They are not held to the same standards as social workers who follow strict ethical guidelines put into place by the NASW and should not be given the same title. As usual, government is protecting their own interests.
Regarding DSS, these poor souls deal with much more than they can handle. In CPS and foster care they deal with an outrageous number of bogus reporting which carries no punishment or accountability to the reporter. These workers have to carry each bogus report from start to finish as if the case were true. It's difficult on these families and the social worker involved who knows they have better things to tend to. False reports make up for the majority of caseloads and this is why situations like this occur. The agency and state then throw the employees to the wolves rather than work towards the prevention of these situations.
DSS workers indicted in probe of child death
Social Workers have Ethics that are designed to maintain professionalism and to protect the citizens they serve. Yes we all make mistakes but as shown with this article one bad apple influenced another. Social Workers are stressed to the max with perpetual overloads of work and Supervisors preoccupied with satisfying their administrations with numbers indicating that they are doing their job. My point is Social Workers who are not true to themselves will compromise their ethics in a heartbeat. Was the supervisor covering for their worker, i don't think so, they were covering for themselves at the expense of another worker who also struggles with upholding the ethics of their work.
Hopefully the investigation will shed light on what other factors were the behind this cover up attempt, shed light to other agencies who seem to ignore ethics to satisfy their job demands.
Add comment
Follow this 1 weird tip and remove 20 years of wrinkles in 21 days.
SmartConsumerMagazine.com
Mortgage Rates Hit 2.50%
If you owe under $729k you may qualify for 3.01% APR Govt Refi Plans.
www.MortgageRatesExperts.com
Money Management
Learn How Mutual Funds Can Help Your Grow Your Money Today.
beckervaluefunds.com
Is He Cheating On You?
1) Enter His Email Address 2) See Hidden Pics & Social Profiles Now!
Spokeo.com/Find-Cheaters