Lawsuit alleges Boone police chief interfered with child abuse investigation

BOONE, N.C. (WBTV) - A man is suing Watauga County and Boone Police Chief Daniel Duckworth in federal court, alleging that the chief inappropriately interfered in a child protective services investigation involving a woman with whom the chief was having a romantic relationship.

The lawsuit deals with a domestic custody dispute, where the man accuses Chief Duckworth of interfering with a CPS investigation into abuse. The lawsuit claims the chief leveraged his relationships within Watauga County to close the investigation.

WBTV is not naming the people in the lawsuit involved in the domestic custody dispute, because neither person is a public figure nor charged with any child abuse crimes.

“Because this matter involves pending litigation and potentially confidential child protective services information, we are limited in what we can publicly discuss,” Watauga County manager Deron Geouque said in an email.

“We take matters involving the safety and welfare of children, as well as the integrity of our investigative processes, very seriously.”

Chief Duckworth had not responded to a request for comment at time of publishing.

Lawsuit: Boone police chief influenced investigation outside his jurisdiction

The lawsuit alleges that Watauga County Child Protective Services opened an investigation into child abuse allegations made against the woman. The lawsuit goes on to say that CPS investigators made initial determinations, after talking to the children, that they were unsafe with the woman.

The man, who was the co-parent of the children, was given temporary emergency custody by a judge as a result.

However, the lawsuit alleges that the woman had an ongoing romantic relationship with Boone police Chief Daniel Duckworth at the time, and that she had told the children that the chief would get involved and “everything would be OK.”

“Upon information and belief, Duckworth used his position as Police Chief and his relationship with DSS Director Tom Hughes to influence the handling of the investigation ... including the alleged interference with interviews and manipulation of evidence described below,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges that the chief interfered with interviews conducted with the children, and spoke about the investigation with contacts at the Watauga County department of social services.

Lawsuit: CPS investigation closed after chief’s involvement

After Duckworth got involved in the case, the lawsuit alleged, the Watauga CPS investigation stalled. That’s despite investigators from the county where the man lived, Avery County, also stating that there were serious concerns about the children’s safety with the woman.

“Avery County CPS told [the man] that Watauga County CPS investigators refused to accept or include Avery County CPS’s evidence, opinions, or recommendations,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges that after the chief’s involvement, CPS investigators manipulated records and ultimately closed the investigation without filing any legal actions.

It goes on to allege that the chief used a prior romantic relationship with a different woman at the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office to shut down a separate investigation into the woman accused of abuse.

The lawsuit cites law enforcement sources for some of its claims about the chief’s influence in shutting down the CPS investigation.