Nonprofit worker arrested after allegedly smuggling drugs into Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall
The Los Angeles County Probation Department said investigators arrested Alejandro Lopez inside the facility after staffers noticed him engaged in suspicious activity. Investigators found more than 170 white pills on him, according to LA County Probation. Lopez worked for the nonprofit tutoring company StudentNest, probation officials said.
"This type of behavior is unacceptable and represents a clear threat to the safety and well-being of the youth and staff in our institutions," Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa said.
Police booked Lopez with possession of a controlled substance and child endangerment.
"To say I'm horrified and disappointed is an understatement," said LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn. "We have an incredible duty and opportunity with the young people in our custody at Los Padrinos, to care for them and provide the environment they need to thrive."
In May, LA County Probation officials announced plans to depopulate Los Padrinos following years of controversy. Last year, a state inspector deemed Los Padrinos "unsuitable" after staff could not stem the flow of drugs, failed to bring the juvenile prisoners to medical appointments and did not prevent retaliation against inmates who filed grievances.
At the time, Attorney General Rob Bonta said LA County "utterly failed" to provide safety to the juvenile hall prisoners last year. Months later, he announced charges against 30 correction officers for allegedly enabling "gladiator fights" at the facility. According to Bonta's Office, the charged officers allowed and sometimes encouraged 69 fights at Los Padrinos between July 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023. State prosecutors said 143 kids between the ages of 12 and 18 were beaten during those six months.
"If someone hired to provide services to our incarcerated youth is able to allegedly smuggle hundreds of illicit pills into this facility and endanger their health and chance at rehabilitation, we are failing miserably," Hahn said. "We need answers about how this was allowed to happen. Yet again, it's clear that something in the culture at Los Padrinos is not working."
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