6 LA Probation Officers Arrested For Unlawfully Pepper Spraying Teen Girl Inmates

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Six Los Angeles County female probation officers were arrested Thursday and charged with unlawfully pepper spraying five teen girl inmates on multiple occasions at a Downey detention facility last year.

The detention officers are facing various charges including felony assault by a public officer, misdemeanor child abuse and misdemeanor cruelty to a child, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office reported Friday.

According to the DA's office, the officers used pepper spray unreasonably on six separate occasions between April and July of 2018 at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. In some of the incidents, they also failed to decontaminate the victims, the DA's office said.

The suspects have been identified as Marlene Rochelle Wilson, 46, Janeth Vilchez 48, LaCour Harrison, 53, Claudette Reynolds, 57, and Maria Asuzena Guerrero and Karnesha Marshall, both 28.

Wilson, Vilchez, Harrison and Reynolds all face felony charges. If convicted, they could face a maximum of 3 ½ to eight years in prison.

Guerrero and Marshall are only charged with misdemeanors. If convicted, they face up to 6 months in jail.

All six suspects appeared in court Friday and will be arraigned on May 23. It's unclear what their current employment status is with the probation department.