Jetson guard alleges attack by juvenile
by naomi martin
Advocate staff writer
August 04, 2012
A female guard at Jetson Center for Youth reported she was assaulted by a juvenile Wednesday, an Office of Juvenile Justice spokeswoman said.
The secure facility’s infirmary staff examined the guard and did not find any “observable” injuries or bruises on the woman, said OJJ spokeswoman Jerel Giarrusso.
Giarrusso said OJJ launched an investigation to determine the validity of the allegations.
At least two other staff members and “a number of youth” were in the room at the time of the reported incident, she said.
OJJ staff interviewed two witnesses who said they did not see an assault, she said.
Giarrusso said she did not know whether there was surveillance video of the incident.
“Our preliminary investigation indicates there was no assault,” she said.
“We are continuing to investigate the charge to see if further information indicates a different conclusion,” Giarrusso said.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office was not dispatched to Jetson to investigate the alleged assault, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks.
Hicks said she was recently informed that all assaults at Jetson are now being handled “internally.”
Giarrusso said she was not aware of a policy change regarding whether the Sheriff’s Office is notified of incidents.
“It’s handled on a case-by-case basis,” she said.
She said she would release the findings of OJJ’s internal investigation once it is completed.