9NEWS: A judge recently ordered Washington County’s Department of Human Services to release an internal investigation of its handling of child welfare cases. 

The move comes after a mother and father spent three years fighting in court for the right to raise their own son. 

Alicia Johansen and Fred Thornton were finally granted custody of their son Carter in the spring of 2023, only after an internal investigation into the Washington County DHS and specifically its director Grant Smith. 

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