30 California probation employees, accused for staging "gladiator fights" at Juvenile Hall - East Bay Times

An indictment of the jury in the county of Los Angeles, which revealed Monday, revealed 30 employees of the probation department, from the detention services officers to at least one supervisor, were accused of allowing themselves to be encouraged-69 fights, including “gladiator”-in the hall, in the world,

indictment It comes from a California Department of Justice, which began after a video was elapsed, depicting one of the “gladiator fights”. The accusations include 69 accusations of children abuse, a conspiracy number for committing an offense and a battery number. The battles, which took place from June to December 2023, involved 143 victims between the ages of 12 and 18, according to DOJ.

The indictment requires harsher punishments, because the victims were “particularly vulnerable”, and the accused took advantage of “a position of trust or trust to commit the crime”.

A recording of the first known incident of December 2023, obtained by The Los Angeles TimesHe showed several young people who attack a 17-year-old, one, when each entered a living room at Los Padrinos. At least four officers stood during the attacks, while two other hearts tried to separate. Some could be seen laughing and even squeezing their hands with attackers.

While investigators discovered several struggles, found “striking similarities” between drained materials and other incidents, according to California General prosecutor, Rob Bonta, who said that officers “look more like the referees or members of the audience for a fight with prizes, not the adults accused of care”.

“The Los Padrinos Officers Hall have a duty to ensure the safety and well -being of those under their care. Instead, the accused officers today did the exact opposite – the supervision of “gladiator struggles” when they should have intervened, “Bontta said in a statement. “The indictment – and the submission of criminal charges – is an important step to respond to these officers and approach the deficiencies to the Juvenile Hall in Los Padrinos.

“Let today’s accusations be a warning to all those who abuse their power: the California justice department follows and we will answer you.”

Bonta assumed the officers hired in a criminal conspiracy by setting up the struggles in advance.

“We believe this was planned, it was intended, there was a desire from the minor test officers for these struggles to happen,” he said during a press conference. “Often they wanted them to happen at the beginning of the day, at a certain time, a certain place.”

Last year, after the first images became public, the sample chief, Guillermo Viera Rosa 14 officers on leave and mentioned INCIDENT to the justice department to investigate. In a statement, probation officials applauded the indictment and indicated that all the appointed officers were placed on unpaid leave.

“Responsibility is a cornerstone of our mission and we have zero tolerance for an incorrect conduct of any peace officer, especially those dealing with young people in our system,” the statement said. “While these incidents are deeply disturbing, we believe that this marks an important step towards rebuilding and strengthening our commitment to the significant changes we propose in our minor facilities.”

The indictment in particular holds two officers, Shawn Smyles and Taneha Brooks, allowed up to nine fighters to engage in fights that took place at least five times during the six -month period. It is assumed that the pair told the new officers about advance struggles and warned him “not to say anything, write anything and only follow when fighting for young people,” the indictment shows.

In December 2023, Smyles, Brooks and another officer, Nancy Sostre, allowed a young man to participate in “eight individual struggles” that caused him to hold a broken nose, according to the indictment. It is assumed that Smyles told young people involved to “refuse treatment” from nurses.

That month, Smyles offered a “information” to detention service officers and told them that the struggles are “the way they operated and control the young people and the unit”, the court shows.

Smyles is also accused of a number of batteries for a use of delicate force against a youth in October 2023.

The series of struggles described in the indictment mentions only Smyles, Brooks and Sostre named. It is not clear how the other 27 employees were involved.

All 30 defendants appeared in court on Monday after – -being for referral. Eight, however, they had their reprogrammed complaints because they had no legal representation. None of those who appeared was forced to post bail.

Lawyer Tom Yu, who represents Ramses Patron, director of Los Padrinos, accused Bonta of bringing the accusations for the political profit and that it was the subsequent efforts to close Los Padrinos. The employer served as a supervisor at the Downey detention center, in the same way, a watch commander supervises changes in a police department, said Yu. The director was not present for any of the struggles, he said.

“I am deeply worried about overcoming this pursuit,” said Yu following the hearing.

The state regulatory authorities have tried to stop for months Los Padrinos. Facility has been declared “Insponstable” Due to a severe shortage of staff And he ordered to close by the State Council and the Community corrections last year, but the probation department refused to comply once the deadline was hit.

The judge of the upper courtyard in Los Angeles, Miguel Espinoza, was Weighing what should happen to Los Padrinos From December. Espinose, which expressed concerns about creating more chaos if it forces Los Padrinos to close delayed a decision three times yet. The problem of the future of Los Padrinos, raised in a case of a juvenile murder, will come again before Espinoza in April.

Said the Supervisory Board A “local emergency” In December and maintained that emptying Los Padrinos would put the communities in “extreme danger”. Viera Rosa, the probation chief, revealed it “Global plan” For the minor facilities of the county in February, but the proposal, thrown during a meeting of the Board of Directors of the supervisors, was greeted by sharp critics.

In a statement, supervisor Janice Hahn stressed the indictments as “additional proof that the culture in our probation department must change dramatically.”

“The young people from Los Padrinos are not only in our custody, but they are in our care,” she said. “It is unacceptable that the probation officers who have entrusted this responsibility to use their power to abuse these children.”