Foster mom, teacher charged with cruelty to children, Georgia cops say
A Georgia foster mother and teacher was arrested on child cruelty charges.
Candace Michele Dorrough, a 45-year-old woman from Buchanan, a city about 55 miles west of Atlanta, was arrested on April 1, according to a news release from the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the investigation started after one of Dorrough’s foster children made a complaint.
That same day, the foster children were all removed from the home by the Division of Family and Children Services, according to the sheriff’s office.
After more than a week-long investigation, Dorrough was charged with five counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, one count of battery FVA and one count of cruelty to children in the third degree, according to authorities.
In Georgia, cruelty to children in the first degree charges apply when a guardian “willfully deprives the child of necessary sustenance” putting their health in danger or “maliciously causes a child … cruel or excessive physical or mental pain,” according to Justia.
“Child abuse is one of the worse crimes because it is an attack on some of the most vulnerable in our communities, our children,” Sheriff Stacy Williams said in the release. “These cases are taken very seriously, and we will investigate them fully so our greatest resource, our children, will be protected.”
Dorrough was a teacher at the Villa Rica High School, according to the school’s website. She is “no longer an employee of the Carroll County School System,” a spokesperson from the district told McClatchy News on April 13.
Carroll County Schools told WSB that the district is “extremely disappointed to learn of the allegations against Mrs. Dorrough.”
Deputies said the investigation is ongoing and more warrants against the woman might be issued.
Dorrough is being held without bail at the Haralson County Jail, according to jail records.
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Foster mom, teacher charged with cruelty to children, Georgia cops say."
