A Los Angeles County probation officer was arrested last week and charged with having sex with a minor being held in a juvenile facility, the department said Monday.
The officer, who was not named in the department's statement, was arrested on March 7 and charged with having sex with an inmate, arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes and bringing contraband into the prison.
A law enforcement source, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, identified the officer as 51-year-old Rafaela Martinez. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department booking records show a person by that name was arrested for a felony on March 7. Martinez was assigned to Detention Services, according to a copy of the department's roster.
The Probation Department declined to comment beyond its general statement.
Investigators became aware of the situation after they recovered a cellphone from a young man detained at the Dorothy Kirby Mall on March 7, according to a Probation Department statement. The department said that the device contained intimate texts and pictures between the young man and the officer.
“The information supported by a memorandum led investigators to communications between the detained young man and the probation officer,” the statement said. “It appears some of these communications occurred while the employee was at work and there were images of a sexual nature.”
The woman was arrested a short time later, according to the probation department, and was also charged with bringing a cell phone and a bottle of medication into a prison cell.
The case has not yet been presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
News of the arrest drew swift condemnation from county leaders.
“The actions reported are heinous and problematic at every level. Arrest and swift investigation are the only appropriate responses,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. “We must root out every bad actor from a probation department that has long been plagued by a culture of corruption.”
Superintendent Katherine Barger added that there should be “zero tolerance” for such behavior and that “the county’s youth deserve better.”
The alleged incident represents the latest in a years-long series of scandals for the probation department, which has suffered a staffing crisis and the state oversight board has closed several of its facilities in recent years. Los Padrinos Event Hall in Downey could close later this year.
The arrest is one of at least two sexual misconduct allegations against a probation officer currently being investigated by county officials.
Earlier this year, a young man detained in Los Padrinos claimed that a female officer he met while in detention tried to start a romantic relationship with him after his release in late 2023, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The Probation Department declined to comment, citing a “strict policy of confidentiality regarding personnel matters, including cases of misconduct.”
Asked about the case, Pamela Johnson, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office, said last month: “We are aware of a similar allegation that is under investigation but has not been submitted to this office for consideration.”
The alleged incident involving the Los Padrinos officer was also reported to the California Department of Justice, which entered into a settlement with the Probation Department in 2021 to mandate reforms to the troubled agency, sources said.
Times staff writer Rebecca Ellis contributed to this report.
