Former DCFS Worker Carlos Acosta A No-Show At McHenry County Board Meeting After Arrest Linked To A.J. Freund Case
WOODSTOCK, Ill. (CBS) -- A former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services worker who is facing charges connected to the death of 5-year-old. A.J. Freund last year was a no-show at the McHenry County Board meeting Tuesday night.
But that did not stop residents from calling for Carlos Acosta to step down from the board.
"Carlos Acosta should not be representing any community in any capacity," said child advocate Lisa O'Brien.
Acosta, 54, and Andrew Polovin, 48, are charged with two felony counts of endangering the life of a child and one count of reckless conduct. Both former DCFS employees were accused of failing to properly investigate allegations concerning A.J.'s treatment, despite concerns raised by police and others.
Both were arrested last week on child endangerment charges. They are accused of failing to protect A.J., who was found dead in a shallow grave near his parents' Crystal Lake home last year.
Even while out on bond, Acosta still sits on the McHenry County Board‚ where his term won't expire until 2022.
County Board Chairman Jack Franks called for Acosta's resignation this past Friday. Franks said that if the public had the power to remove him, "I have no doubt that the consensus would be to do so."
A.J.'s father, Andrew Freund Sr., is due in court on Wednesday for a status hearing on murder charges as he awaits trial.
A.J.'s mother, JoAnn Cunningham, pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
