Former Northern Orange NAACP President Arrested, Charged With Giving Baby Alcohol
HILLSBOROUGH, NC – The former president of the Northern Orange NAACP was charged with felony neglect child abuse after a five-month-old in her care nearly died from alcohol poisoning.
Last week, LaTarndra Strong, 55, turned herself in at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, where she was booked. Her secured bond was set at $10,000. Strong is expected to appear in Orange County Court in late October.
According to the News & Observer, Strong’s arrest warrant alleged that on March 18, she made a bottle that contained alcohol for a 5-month-old baby, then left the child in the care of “adults who were not physically or mentally capable” of providing emergency care for the baby.
The warrant also alleges these adults failed to call 9-1-1 when the baby became unresponsive and stopped breathing.
On March 20, Strong resigned as president of the Northern Orange NAACP, citing “personal reasons,” according to current president Matt Hughes. Strong was elected as president in January 2021.
Hughes is also president of the Orange County Partnership for Young Children, where Strong serves on the group’s board of directors. In a statement to the News of Orange County, Hughes said he emailed Strong and asked that she step down from her seat on the board.
“Ms. Strong is a member of the Board of Directors for the Orange County Partnership for Young Children and has been asked to resign,” Hughes said in his statement. “Given our mission focused on the healthy growth and development for every child and the potential this case has to distract from that mission at this time.”
Hughes added he believes everyone is innocent until proven guilty and entitled to due process.
Court records listed Hate-Free Schools Coalition, an organization Strong founded, as her current employer. The group’s mission is to eliminate racial and ethnic intimidation in the Orange County School District.
In a 2020 interview with the News of Orange, Strong said she was a “foster parent to many children.” She also said she had worked as program director for summer camps at Efland Cheeks Community Center.