Social worker who ‘had places to be’ arrested after sending children back to an abusive home
Don't worry; the mother and her boyfriend were also arrested.
A social worker in Kentucky has been arrested after sending two girls back home despite seeing and hearing about obvious signs of abuse. 24-year-old Alan Zhang was called to the girls’ school after abuse was suspected, but directed the school to send the children home anyway. In a follow-up incident, he allegedly told medical personnel who were looking the children over that he “had places to be” and needed to leave.
Zhang now faces one count each of failure to report, official misconduct, complicity to commit assault, and wanton endangerment, all of which are misdemeanors. His arrest marks a new development in a case that has been ongoing since August 28.
The school contacted family services about the girls
On August 28, the two children showed up at school with visible signs of abuse, including bite marks, black eyes, marks on the neck, and bruises. The school reached out to Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), and Zhang was sent to the school to investigate. He arrived three and a half hours later.
Once there, he asked the school nurse to take photos of the injuries and interviewed the girls. According to Law & Crime, the charging documents against Zhang allege that while at the school, he heard one of the children say to someone, “Mom’s boyfriend choked her.”
During his time at the school, multiple school employees reportedly explained to him repeatedly that they had not contacted the police because they were under the impression that CHFS would reach out if the police were required. However, Zhang didn’t call the authorities.
Instead, he called a supervisor before he told the school that he “wasn’t comfortable with the situation.” He then told the school to send the two girls back home.
The situation deteriorated from there
After the children went back home, the school was concerned enough to call and check in later. When they did, they allegedly heard the mother’s boyfriend, Kyle Reynold, screaming, which alarmed them enough that they called 911 and requested a wellness check to ensure the girls were alright. Unfortunately, they weren’t. By the time deputies arrived on the scene, the children had reportedly been beaten once again. The girls were taken to the hospital, where it was discovered the abuse was so bad that one child had 23 visible injuries, while the other had 32.
Apparently, Zhang also appeared at the scene at some point, as he reportedly told EMS workers he “needed to know what was going on so he could leave” because he “had places to be.”
Gallatin County Attorney Grant Axon reportedly said about the situation with Zhang, “He not only completely failed these two children by not investigating the injuries that they had. But then when he sent them home against all obvious signs to do so, they were beaten again.”
Zhang was placed in Boone County Jail before being released on a $5,000 bond. He is scheduled for arraignment on October 20, 2026.
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