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The director of Indiana's Department of Child Services, Judge James Payne, resigned Monday.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels issued a statement saying he respected Payne's view that Payne's family be spared further harsh criticism, and that “a difficult personal dispute, not of his own making, could be misused by those with political or special interest agendas to falsely disparage the excellent work he and his DCS co-workers have done over the last eight years.”  The resignation followed a story in the Indianapolis Star Sunday that Payne may have violated agency ethics rules by privately working to discredit the agency's recommendation in a case involving his grandchildren.

Governor Daniels asked DCS Chief of Staff John Ryan to serve as director, and Ryan agreed, effective immediately.