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Many eyes were in Los Angeles County on April 7th as the request committee approved a long $4 billion settlement. This is because there was a flood of lawsuits from victims who said they were sexually abused as county-run lockups and foster parents children.
On the same day, the LA County District Attorney’s Office quietly decided on another decision. The man who appeared in the lawsuit as the most prolific abuser will not face criminal charges.
Thomas Jackson, 58, is a former probation officer accused of more than 20 women who sexually abused him as a minor, and the suspect’s case happened so long ago that he would not be charged, said April 7 Dedination Memo.
According to another April 7 memo, the District Attorney’s Office also refused to indict Altovise Abner, 46, a probation supervisor who was investigated for having sex with a minor at a camp in 2006.
As state lawmakers gave victims of childhood sexual abuse a new window to file a lawsuit in 2020, LA County was flooded with claims from nearly 7,000 plaintiffs who said they were abused by caretakers, probation staff or foster parents while they were children in custody in the county.
County officials only referred to two cases in December 2023, a decision not to file a lawsuit with the District Attorney’s Office for an investigation. The decision not to accus them would mean that no new criminal prosecution would arise from allegations that constitute the largest sexual abuse settlement in US history.
The charges that prosecutors considered against Jackson included statutory rape, oral sex with minors, and forced foreign intrusions, according to a memo from Associate District Attorney Melanie Bacca’s peculiar dine.
Abner’s potential accusations, including statutory rape, could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt, and according to Buccat’s Dedintion Memo, were outside the limits of the law.
In a statement, a spokesman for the DA’s office has been called “deeply intrusive” alleged sexual assault at a probation facility. The firm “will remain immovable in our commitment to seeking justice as much as possible and can take timely action under the law as it encourages those with the knowledge to report potential crimes,” the statement said.
County officials said the lack of records made it impossible to oppose the lawsuit and promoted a historically significant settlement. The same issue made it difficult to investigate criminal prosecution claims, they said.
Many victims who were children at the time of the abuse never knew the name of the abuser. The perpetrator is usually identified in the lawsuit as several variations of John Doe, with little detail being identified. Some of the records supporting the claim have disappeared back to the 1950s. People have moved or died.
Jackson, who resigned in 2023 after 30 years, is a notable exception. His full name was cited in at least 30 cases, according to filings from four different law firms. According to lawyers for two other companies, 26 other plaintiffs identified the abuser as having the Jackson surname, but they had no idea about his name.
Courtney Tom, who represents 17 clients who accused Jackson of abusing them at the Santa Clarita Boys Camp, said the decision not to indict him was “very disappointed.”
“Children who were allegedly raped and abused in ways he could never have had a chance. “It’s not only heartbreaking, but also frightening, to meet the lack of accountability from those entrusted to support justice.”
Abner, who took leave in 2023, was charged in another lawsuit about groping the 17-year-old’s lawsuit at the Lancaster juvenile camp around 2006. According to her LinkedIn, Abner works as a program manager for a homeless nonprofit Hopis.
Abner could not be immediately contacted for comment. Jackson’s lawyer Tom Yu said his client was innocent and he was pleased that the case was dropped.
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