Somebody posing as a "medical professional'' managed to access Los Angeles County's Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar and took COVID-19 swabs of several youths housed there, it was reported Friday.
The actions of the unknown "imposter'' were first reported by LAist, citing an internal email sent by an official in the Public Defenders Office, urging attorneys representing youth housed at the facility to determine if their clients were impacted.
The county Probation Department confirmed the incident in a statement to LAist, saying "an unknown individual posing as a healthcare worker gained access'' to the Nidorf facility on Jan. 29.
"Local authorities have been notified and an internal investigation is underway,'' the statement said. "The probation department is reexamining security protocols.''
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The agency insisted that no juveniles were injured.
In the statement, county Chief Deputy Probation Officer Karen Fletcher said it is "reprehensible that an individual would impersonate a healthcare worker and take advantage of one of our most vulnerable populations. It is disheartening, disrepectful and criminal,'' LAist reported.
