The arrest, which transpired on March 7, has brought to light potential weaknesses in the county's juvenile detention system.
The officer in question, Rafaela Martinez, is facing grave allegations. These include engaging in sexual relations with an inmate, arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes, smuggling contraband into a jail, and unauthorized possession of a wireless communication device within a secured area.
The case unfolded after investigators found a contraband cellphone in the possession of the inmate. The device contained sexually explicit text messages and photos exchanged between the officer and the incarcerated minor.
An anonymous law enforcement source, who was not authorized to speak with the media, identified the officer as 51-year-old Rafaela Martinez. According to L.A. County Sheriff’s Department booking records, an individual by that name was arrested for a felony on March 7. The department's roster shows that Martinez was assigned to detention services.
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The probation department has refrained from commenting beyond its public statement.
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The situation came to light when investigators recovered a cellphone from a youth in custody at the Dorothy Kirby Center in Commerce on March 7, as per the probation department’s statement. The device contained intimate texts and photos between the youth and the officer.
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The department's statement read, “Information supported by a warrant led investigators to communications between the detained youth and Probation Officer. Some of these communications appeared to have occurred while the employee was at work and there were photos that are sexual in nature.”
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The officer was arrested shortly thereafter, and she was also accused of smuggling a cellphone and a prescription medication bottle into a jail facility.
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath expressed her condemnation of Martinez’s actions, describing them as “heinous and problematic on every level,” and asserting that “Arrest and swift investigation are the only appropriate responses.”
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Upon being questioned about the phone, Martinez “gave statements that corroborated information which confirmed that the observed communications were with her,” according to a statement from the department. The authorities discovered a prescription pill container with various types of pills in the former officer’s personal bag.
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L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis expressed her disappointment, stating, “it was disappointing that this staff was also found bringing pills into our facilities when many of our youth have suffered from overdoses and substance use dependencies.”
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This incident is not an isolated one. The county is already facing numerous lawsuits from former detainees alleging sexual abuse dating back to 1972.
Earlier this year, a juvenile claimed that a female officer he had met while in custody made romantic advances towards him after his release in 2023, as reported by the LA Times.
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In a 2023 budget, Los Angeles County CEO Fesia Davenport estimated that the county could potentially pay out between $1.6 billion to $3 billion for more than 3,000 claims of childhood sexual assault.
The case of Martinez is the latest in a series of issues plaguing the probation department, adding to the scrutiny directed at the agency.
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