The employee who works for a nonprofit was arrested for dozens of pills in Downey Juvenile Hall on Monday, months after dozens of young people overdose at the facility.
Alejandro Lopez was arrested on suspicion of child danger and possession of drugs after it was discovered to hold about 170 “white pills” inside the juvenile hall in Lospadrino around 11:30 a.m., according to a news release from the LA County Probation Division, which oversees the hall.
The department said officers noticed Lopez “engaged in some suspicious activities” and approached him just before he found the pills. They are believed to be Xanax, but lab tests will need to be conducted to confirm that, according to Vicky Waters, a probation spokesman.
“This type of behavior is unacceptable and represents a clear threat to the safety and well-being of the youth and staff at our agency,” Guillermo Viera Rosa, the county’s chief probation officer, said in a statement. “We are grateful for the prompt action of our investigative team and our law enforcement partners. We are committed to ensuring a safe environment for youth, staff and community partners.”
Probation officers said Lopez works for the student’s nest. It said it is a Fresno-based tutoring service that offers programs focused on mathematics, science, English and robotics, according to its website.
Attempts to contact the company were not immediately successful on Monday night. It was not immediately clear whether Lopez had a legal representative.
Drugs in the county’s juvenile hall have been a major concern since the death of 18-year-old Brian Diaz after an overdose at a safe youth treatment facility in Sylmer in May 2023.
Three young people were hospitalized this year after suffering a drug overdose in Lospadrino days after probation officers discovered a large amount of Xanax in the hall.
The probation officer was accused of helping to smuggle Xanax into Barry J. Nidolph Boy Hall in Sylmer in June.
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