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Residents urge action on social services after child died in custody; calls for public pool funding resurfaces
Summary
Speakers in the informal comment period pressed the board to act after a 1-year-old named Kimari died in county custody and called for the county to use placement authority to reunite a surviving sibling; other speakers urged investment in a public pool rather than splash pads and pickleball courts.
At the start of the meeting’s informal comment period, several residents used allotted time to press the commissioners on two separate community concerns: the death of a 1-year-old child identified by speakers as Kimari while in the custody of Person County social services, and calls for the county to prioritize a public swimming pool over splash pads and pickleball courts.
Amanda Wallace, who identified herself as a former child protective services investigator, told the board: “Kimari is a 1 year old child that died in the custody of Person County. Died in your custody as if it was your child because you currently govern social services. It's your responsibility to do something here and yet you have not.” Wallace said Kimari’s 2-year-old sister, Zaria, remained separated from family and urged the board to use its placement authority. “You have placement authority. It doesn't you don't need a judge,” Wallace said.
Queen Alicia Hammond, who identified herself as a 2026 U.S. Senate candidate, also addressed the board during the informal comment period and linked moral imperatives to the case, saying the child “deserve(s) answers for her children.” Both speakers pressed the board for action and transparency; the transcript records these statements as public comments and does not show any board action taken during the meeting on those requests.
Separately, Beverly Cates, a county resident who said she grew up in Person County and is raising a teenager locally, urged the commissioners to prioritize a public pool. Cates said residents drive to neighboring counties for public pools and asked that money budgeted for a splash pad and pickleball courts be reinvested into a pool. “There’s an urgent need to provide a safe swimming resource where youth and adults can learn how to swim,” she said.
Why it matters: The comments raise questions about child-welfare oversight and placement decisions by county social services and show community demand for recreation resources for adolescents and adults. The transcript records the speakers’ appeals but does not show board action or staff responses during this meeting on either the child-custody allegations or the pool request.
Ending: The public comment period concluded without a formal board response documented in the transcript. The board proceeded to the consent agenda and other business.
