Pennsylvania Case Workers Facing Felony Charges

(AP) – A Pennsylvania prosecutor says caseworkers at a child welfare agency failed to protect children from horrific abuse and neglect, allowing them to languish for years in homes overtaken by animal waste and garbage. District Attorney Mark Powell announced felony charges Tuesday against five people at Lackawanna County’s Office of Youth and Family Services in Scranton. Powell says the caseworkers knew that children were living in dangerous, deplorable conditions, but “instead of coming to the rescue, they chose to walk away.” The arrests came days after state authorities downgraded the county agency’s license.