Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star June "Mama June" Shannon may reportedly lose custody of her children because of her relationship with convicted sex offender Mark McDaniel.
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Shannon's oldest daughter Anna Cardwell, 20, has come forward, claiming McDaniel had molested her when she was only eight-years-old. Despite Shannon's public denials, reports and "compelling evidence" continue to surface that seemingly prove Shannon is in fact involved with McDaniel despite his criminal past.
Susan Boatwright, a representative for the Division of Family and Children Services, wouldn't confirm whether an investigation is actually underway, citing privacy laws. However, she told Fox News in a statement the agency will not take Shannon's situation lightly.
"When [the Division of Family and Children Services] gets a report that indicates a child is living around someone who is a sex offender or who may have been guilty of child molestation, we would take that very seriously and go out and investigate and look at the parent's protective capacity," Boatwright said, adding that a typical child services investigation could take anywhere from 30 to 45 days.
"[Child services] would look to see if the allegations that were reported were true and the next step would be to determine how safe or unsafe the children are in the current environment."
McDaniel was indicted for aggravated child molestation and aggravated sexual battery on Cardwell in June 2003 for multiple abuse instances which occurred between October 2002 and March 2003, RadarOnline reported over the weekend.
While the Henry County district attorney's office reportedly eventually dismissed its charges against McDaniel, he was later convicted on aggravated child molestation charges in another case in nearby Spalding County -- a conviction that resulted in him spending the next 10 years in prison.
Boatwright reportedly explained that if a parent seems capable of handling the situation and protecting his or her children from the sex offender, that person won't lose the kids. On the flip side, child services would take the children from their parent's home and place them with relatives or in a home deemed safer and more suitable.
Shannon is currently the primary caregiver for her three underage daughters. She had split from her ex-boyfriend of 10 years, Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson, in September.
Unfortunately, "every house probably has a sex offender that lives near them, so it comes down to the ability of the parent to keep the child safe," Boatwright told Fox News.
The star of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, is nine-years-old, and according to Boatwright, young children can be more vulnerable to abuse.
TLC recently announced its decision to cancel Here Comes Honey Boo Boo in light of reports Shannon is dating a child molester.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
