Three youths suffered a drug overdose at Donny’s Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall on Friday, the latest scandal in a beleaguered facility that was supposed to close last year After state watchdogs found that teenagers were “inappropriate.”
According to a statement from the supervisory agency, the young people were taken to local hospitals for “medical assessment and treatment related to events that may be substance-related.” Vicky Waters, director of communications at the probation department, said all three young people have returned to the facility since then.
According to three sources of conditional knowledge by Los Padrinos, a large amount of Xanax was found in the hall sometime before the overdose. Narcan, a rapid treatment that can reverse the effects of opioid overdose, was deployed in the incident on Friday, two sources said. Sources spoke on anonymous terms because they were worried about revenge.
Waters did not immediately answer questions about Xanax recovery or using Narcan.
“The department is investigating yesterday’s incident with local law enforcement partners, including any incidents in which contraband was introduced into the facility,” she said.
Jerod Gunsberg, a defense attorney representing an overdose victim, said his client was found unconscious in the hall sometime Friday.
“I talked to the client’s mother. I contacted her with a probation yesterday and found that he was not responsive,” Gisberg said. “They took him to the hospital. He worked in the hospital for a while. Now, he has been moved back to the medical department of Los Padrinos.”
The department has banned visitors from coming to Los Padrinos on weekends. A department spokesperson could not say how the drugs entered the facility, but an investigation was underway.
Gensberg said his client’s mother was not allowed to speak to her son. He accused the probation department of operating “black sites” in Los Padrinos and asked officials to communicate more clearly with the families of the overdose victims and their attorneys.
“I’ve never been able to get to Los Padrinos or probation despite my best efforts,” he said. “If someone with probation ends up reading this, I’m very easy to find. They know where to find me. So call me.”
Waters said the department must cancel visits and limit youth campaigns across the facility over the weekend as part of an investigation into the source of drugs.
The prevalence of drugs, especially fentanyl, in teenage halls in Los Angeles County, has hovered for years. May 2023 18-year-old Bryan Diaz dies from overdose Safe Youth Treatment Institution in Silma.
The incident happened a few months after the State Council and Community Correction Order closed in December last year, mainly due to staffing issues. The probation department is in a state of a year-long staffing crisis as many of its officials refuse to go to work or continue to be injured, Quote the conditions of chaos and violence in the hall.
The Department of Probation ignored the BSCC order, a decision that was supported by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The probation department appealed the BSCC ruling twice, but both were denied, including earlier this week when Guillermo Viera Rosa went to Sacramento to give a personal speech to the board.
Waters noted in an email to the Times that the overdose and other recent controversies, including the stabbing of a teenager last month, had nothing to do with the BSCC ruling on whether Los Padrinonos is suitable for functioning.
However, the BSCC does not have legal authorization to enforce its orders, while California does not have legal authorization. General Rob Bonta refused to intervene. The board only believes that a teenage hall is “inappropriate” to operate three times in its history, but every hall ordered to be closed is in Los Angeles County. Los Padrinos reopened in 2023 as Barry J Nidolph of Sylmar must be closed. But Donny’s facilities quickly became a turbulent scene.
Shortly after the department ignored BSCC orders last year, the Los Angeles County Public Defenders Office asked the judge to release its 107 clients in Los Padrinos, saying the state believes the state believes the unsafe facilities are unconstitutional. The Public Defender’s Office has asked Los Angeles County Judge Michael Espinoza to release some clients and release others to lower safety camps, but Espinoza has played a few months of decision. Another hearing is scheduled to take place on April 18.
All about 230 young people living in Los Padrinos have heard cases, some of which include violent crimes. Most are between 15 and 18 years old.
“The place is still open, shocking me. “Gunsberg said.
Times worker Rebecca Ellis contributed to the report.
