More trouble for the troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall was announced Thursday when the Los Angeles County Probation Department reported that an employee contracted at the facility through a temp agency was detained after trying to a bring in a concealed blade.
The employee was detained about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said.
“During the routine security screening at the facility entrance, Citiguard Security personnel discovered a flat, concealable knife inside the employee’s bag,” according to a probation department news release. “The employee was immediately denied entry into the facility and probation personnel were notified.”
The employee, who was hired through Apple One to work with the county Department of Youth Development, was escorted from the premises and ordered not to return while the matter was investigated.
A search of his belongings also revealed a canister of pepper spray.
Both the spray and the knife were seized as evidence. The employee’s name was not released.
The incident comes after another contractor was caught allegedly bringing Xanax pills into the facility.
Alejandro Lopez, 21, of Downey, an employee of the nonprofit organization Student Nest, was charged with one felony count each of bringing or sending a controlled substance into a juvenile hall or camp and possession for sale of a designated controlled substance, officials announced earlier this month.
It is also alleged that Lopez induced others, including Los Padrinos ward, to participate in the scheme.
Lopez pleaded not guilty during his arraignment and his preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for July 15 at the Norwalk Courthouse.
Two days after Lopez was nabbed, at least nine people, including one youth detainee, were taken to a hospital following exposure to an unknown substance at Los Padrinos.
County Probation Department officials initially said authorities responded to a “suspected overdose and possible exposure to an unidentified substance” at the facility
Department spokeswoman Vicky Waters told City News Service several people were taken to hospitals, including one youth and eight staff members, due to the exposure. All of them, however, were “responsive and stable” at the hospital, she said.
It was unclear what type of substance was involved.
The facility was placed on lockdown while an investigation was conducted.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger issued a statement calling the overdose incident “deeply concerning.”
Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement that whatever the substance was, it “should never have been able to enter (the) facility.”
Los Padrinos has come under fire repeatedly since it was opened in 2023 to house youth transferred from two other facilities deemed unsuitable for youth detention. The Downey facility itself has been deemed unsuitable on multiple occasions by state regulators, and it continues to operate under an unsuitability declaration.
A judge in May approved a Probation Department plan to draw down the number of youth housed at the facility, which has been plagued with issues stemming mostly from short-staffing, along with concerns about detainees not being transported to classes or medical appointments.
In March, 30 county probation officers where hit with criminal charges stemming from allegations that so-called “gladiator fights” were being staged among the youth detainees while officers looked on.