L.A. probation officer arrested, accused of supplying drugs to juvenile hall
Michael Solis, 59, allegedly conspired with two juvenile detainees to sell Xanax to people being held inside of Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar between May and August of 2023, according to a criminal complaint filed last week.
Court records show Solis allegedly began conspiring to sell the drugs on May, 14, 2023, just five days after 18-year-old detainee Bryan Diaz died of a fentanyl overdose in the same building.
'Trafficking illegal drugs to juveniles is unconscionable under any circumstances, let alone as a government employee taking advantage of vulnerable youth in need of guidance and support,' Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said in a statement. 'Probation officers have as their primary duty the protection, health and safety of juveniles under their care. My office will not tolerate such an abuse of power, which endangers youth, undermines rehabilitation, and makes our communities less safe.'
The L.A. County Probation Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear if Solis had legal representation or when he would be arraigned.
A spokesperson for the district attorney's office declined to say if Diaz's death sparked the investigation into Solis, who faces up to three years in prison if he is convicted.
Reports of increased drug use among teens held at the Secure Youth Treatment Facility at Nidorf, where Solis worked, had surfaced in the months before Diaz's death.
In April 2023, the L.A. County Inspector General's office detailed two incidents where youths were taken to local medical facilities or revived with Narcan after fentanyl overdoses. A March 2023 search of the unit where the teens overdosed uncovered pills laced with fentanyl and 'two large bindles of what appeared to be fentanyl' inside a dormitory, according to the inspector general's report.
Diaz died on May 9, 2023. Five days later, according to the criminal complaint, Solis began conspiring with two juveniles at Nidorf to bring Xanax into the jails. Court filings say he was caught on camera twice handing a juvenile — identified only as 'Co-Conspirator A' — small packages believed to be drugs inside Nidorf hall.
Solis, who the juveniles nicknamed 'Old Boy' in phone calls recorded by law enforcement, was charging as much as $400 per drug drop, according to the complaint.
The enterprise fell apart in August 2023, when 'Co-Conspirator A' was caught with 106 Xanax pills inside of Nidorf Hall, court records show.
'There is no room in this Department for anyone who violates the public trust and endangers the safety and wellbeing of the youth in our care,' Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa said in a statement Tuesday. 'We applaud the action taken by District Attorney Nathan Hochman, and remain steadfast in our commitment to holding our staff to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and accountability.'
Solis first came under scrutiny in October 2023 after another Secure Youth Treatment Facility resident, Nicholas Ibarra, was charged with bringing drugs into the facility. Ibarra told two probation officers — Reggie Torres and David Corona — that he could identify an officer bringing drugs into the facility, according to Tom Yu, an attorney representing both officers.
Torres and Corona were both placed on administrative leave a short time later for conducting an 'incomplete investigation,' according to Yu, who said the charges against Solis vindicated the officers.
'My guys were unlawfully f—ed with essentially, they were harassed and they were obstructed from doing their jobs,' Yu said. 'Solis was the target of the investigation.'
The probation department has not responded to Yu's allegations since he first made them in 2023.
The charges are the latest in a series of criminal investigations targeting probation officers. Earlier this year, a California Attorney General's office investigation into so-called 'gladiator fights' at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey led to indictments against 30 officers. A probation supervisor also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in February, years after the Times published footage of him bending a teen in half inside Camp Kilpatrick.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
21 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Why three Coral Gables attorneys have been reprimanded or disbarred
All three Miami-Dade attorneys on the Florida Bar's monthly list of attorneys disciplined by the state Supreme Court have their professional homes in Coral Gables. In alphabetical order: Steven Amster Steven Amster (admitted to the Bar in 1994) took Tomas Diaz's Duval County criminal case for a non-refundable $5,000 flat fee. The retainer agreement said the case would be done when charges were dismissed, or Diaz was acquitted or convicted. Diaz pleaded guilty, ending what was covered by the $5,000 fee. Later, when a violation of probation matter came up, Amster worked on that for Diaz. For a year and a half, he drove up to Duval County for hearings and wound up keeping Diaz out of jail. But, as Amster's guilty plea in this discipline case says, he did so without a written fee agreement. Three times, he reached out to Diaz, asking for another $50,000 fee for his work. Eventually, Diaz's mother paid the $50,000 via three wire transfers. Amster violated Florida Bar rules of 'duty to communicate basis or rate of fee or costs to client.' Amster has to return $10,000 to Diaz's mother, attend ethics school and will receive a public reprimand. This comes less than three years after Amster's last public reprimand, which he received in November 2022. READ MORE: The end for a Fort Lauderdale attorney who disappeared with at least $630,000 Ruzy Behnejad Ruzy Behnejad, 35, has been a Bar member since 2014 with no previous disciplinary history. Behnejad received $128,597 from a property damage settlement in his trust account during April 2024. But before shooting that money to his client or the service providers owed, Benejhad left the country on a personal matter. '[Behnejad] failed to communicate with (his client) to explain the delay in payment of her portion of the settlement funds or to explain the failure to pay the public adjuster, water & mold mitigation service, or the consultant,' Behnejad's application for disciplinary revocation states. Behnejad told his client in July 2024 that he'd distribute the money as required and, as financial apology for the delay, refund $11,000 of his legal fees. Which is what he did upon returning to the United States in September. In fact, including the $11,000 refund, he paid $130,338.17, which was more than the settlement. The client filed a Bar complaint. Behnejad filed for disciplinary revocation, essentially disbarment, with leave to seek readmission after five years. The state Supreme Court granted Behnejad's request — Behnejad is tossed from the Bar for five years, and the Bar discipline case disappears. If there had been civil or criminal matters arising from this case, they would not be affected. READ MORE: What happened to a Florida attorney accused of misappropriating $1 million Michael Murphy If Michael Murphy's disbarment were a person, it could legally have a Cuba Libre, having turned 21 on April 28. Despite being disbarred since 2004, the Bar's contempt petition said, Murphy sent communication on May 3, 2024, on behalf of a woman trying to get her security deposit refunded from a former landlord and signed it, 'Michael Murphy, Esquire.' When the landlord responded by asking for a 'letter of legal representation,' Murphy's reply email stated, 'I represent Ms. Crystal Harris' and signed it 'Michael Murphy, Esquire.' A May 6, 2024, email from Murphy said, 'we stick by our original offer to pay the designated items, NOTHING MORE! If you wish to discuss further, call me to discuss, not (his purported client), she is done talking to you all.' That's holding himself out to be an attorney. As Murphy already was disbarred, but could apply for readmission, he's now permanently disbarred.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
CHP officer dies on duty after suddenly losing control of cruiser, smashing into tree
CHP Officer Miguel Cano was on duty in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. He and his partner were en route from an arrest, taking a DUI suspect to the West L.A. CHP Office, which was a few blocks away. But Cano didn't make it. Moments after telling his partner that he didn't feel well, he lost control of his patrol cruiser and smashed into a tree in Culver City. He was killed. His partner and the suspect they were transporting were injured. 'We are devastated by the loss of Officer Cano, who gave his life while serving the people of California,' said California Highway Patrol Commissioner Sean Duryee in a statement. 'His dedication, courage and commitment to public safety will never be forgotten. We stand with his family and our CHP family during this incredibly difficult time.' It was not immediately clear what caused the crash and what medical emergency Cano experienced. Duryee said the officer did not have any known health issues. Cano, a 34-year-old from Moreno Valley, had been driving south on Bristol Parkway, north of Green Valley Circle at 12:28 a.m. Wednesday, alongside his partner, who was not immediately identified. They had taken into a custody a person allegedly in possession of a firearm, possible cocaine and drug paraphernalia. They feared the suspect could be OD'ing. Cano administered Narcan as a precaution. Then the partners were headed back to the office when Cano said he didn't feel well, Duryee said. Their vehicle went off the roadway and struck a tree. Cano was rushed to UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead around 1:40 a.m. On Wednesday morning, a solemn cadre of Cano's fellow officers took part in a procession as the body was transported to the medical examiner's office. Cano's partner sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene, the CHP said. The person in custody was transported to Cedars-Sinai in Marina Del Rey by the Culver City Fire Department. Duryee said their injuries were not severe. The department's accident investigation team is leading an investigation into the incident, the CHP said. But investigators have already ruled out a possible exposure to drugs. 'We do not think this was an exposure to drugs,' Duryee said. 'The other officer and the subject did not experience any signs or symptoms related to that.' Cano, who graduated from the CHP Academy in November 2023, is survived by his wife and parents. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that Cano's 'passing is a heartbreaking loss for the state and the California Highway Patrol.' The governor noted that this was the first line-of-duty death for the CHP since 2020 and that flags at the State Capitol would be flown at half-staff.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Five hospitalized after suspected drug incident at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall
Five people were hospitalized Wednesday morning due to possible drug exposure inside Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, officials said. Vicky Waters, the communications director for the L.A. County Probation Department, which oversees the juvenile halls, said the hospitalizations were due to 'a suspected overdose and possible exposure to an unidentified substance.' Youths being held at the hall and probation staff members were among those taken to the hospital on Wednesday morning, Waters said. She did not know what the substance was, where it was found or approximately what time the incident occurred. Downey police and fire officials were responding to the hall, as well as hazardous materials crews, according to Waters. The latest incident comes amid ongoing issues with drugs in the county's juvenile halls. On Monday, an employee for a non-profit tutoring company was arrested at Los Padrinos and allegedly found in possession of 170 pills believed to be Xanax. Last month, L.A. prosecutors charged a probation officer with smuggling Xanax into the Secure Youth Treatment Facility at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar. Several youths also suffered drug overdoses at Los Padrinos in April, not long after probation officials found a large quantity of Xanax inside the facility. Los Padrinos remains the subject of major scrutiny by state and county officials. In May, a judge ordered more than 100 youths to be moved out of the Downey hall after the facility repeatedly failed investigations carried out by a state oversight body. California Atty. Gen Rob Bonta also said earlier this year he was mulling a state takeover of L.A. County's juvenile justice system after years of scandals, riots, drug overdoses and allegations of officers abusing youths.
