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Speakers urge audits, allege CPS misconduct; county manager says regular audits conducted
Summary
Multiple speakers at the Jan. 13 public comment period urged independent state and federal audits of child protective services and alleged constitutional violations and missing money; county officials said the county undergoes annual audits and state inspection, and a resident said she intends to sue Davidson County.
LEXINGTON — During public comments at the Jan. 13 Davidson County Board of Commissioners meeting several residents urged independent audits of child protective services and the county’s child‑welfare processes and made allegations of misconduct and missing funds.
Melissa Pratt, who identified herself as a former foster child and a foster parent, urged the board to seek "an independent state and federal audit of CPS" and of the county child support office. "Children do need to be protected," she said, but added that she believes the agency has been "greatly abused" and alleged cases in which children were removed unnecessarily. Pratt said the federal audit should look at alleged constitutional violations and a state audit should examine financial issues.
A second commenter, Katrina Milburn, read a prepared statement into the record saying she is suing Davidson County over what she described as years of corruption and alleged misconduct by county CPS and the courts. Her statement said she would "finally release all of my evidence of corruption" and that she does not plan to settle. Milburn identified her daughter by name in the statement and described the experience of removal and supervised visitation.
County officials responded on the record. When asked whether any county official was aware of missing money, a county staff member who was asked directly said, "I'm not aware of any money that's missing. We get audited. We get an audit every year, ma'am." A commissioner noted that the North Carolina General Assembly had issued a statement about alleged mismanagement at the state Department of Health and Human Services; the commissioner added that such state‑level findings do not necessarily indicate local mismanagement and that county operations are inspected by the state and must meet federal guidelines.
No formal action was taken by the board at the meeting on requests for independent audits. Speakers said they would press for investigations and possible litigation; staff reiterated the county’s standard audit schedule and state oversight requirements.
What was said (selected quotes)
- Melissa Pratt: "I'm asking for an independent state and federal audit...The federal audit looks at the constitutional violations. The state audit will cover the financial violations. There's a lot of missing money that goes through there as well as this county."
- County staff member (asked about missing funds): "I'm not aware of any money that's missing. We get audited. We get an audit every year, ma'am."
- Katrina Milburn (read into record): "This is my notice to you and Davidson County officials to tell you that I'm suing Davidson County and finally releasing all of my evidence of corruption...I don't plan on settling out of court. I plan on taking you all the way."
Why it matters: Calls for audits and allegations of constitutional violations involve both procedural and legal standards for child protective services and the courts. While residents raised specific accusations, county staff pointed to regular audits and state inspection; the board did not vote on any audit request at the meeting.
