Therapist groomed, sexually abused teen boy she met in juvenile detention, prosecutors say

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Set us as preferred Prosecutors in Contra Costa County have charged a former behavioral health clinician with grooming a teen boy in the juvenile detention facility where she worked, and sexually abusing him after his release.The woman, 26-year-old Sofia Ann-Buitron Drotts of San Francisco, was charged Monday with multiple felony counts, including unlawful sexual intercourse, sending harmful subject matter to a minor and possession of child pornography.Drotts had been working as a behavioral health clinician at the John Davis Juvenile Detention Center in Martinez when she was assigned the unnamed minor as a client, according to a news release from the Contra Costa County district attorney’s office.Prosecutors allege the teenager and Drotts engaged in a sexual relationship that began in May and lasted until July 14, at which point she was arrested by Concord police after they received a tip from a supervisor at the county’s Probation Department.The charges were filed soon after the teenager’s family filed a claim against the county alleging Drotts had groomed the teenager for nearly two years, beginning when he was around 15 years old.The claim, filed by Oakland attorney John Burris of Nienbaum & Curry on behalf of the family, alleged that while the teenager was incarcerated, Drotts “abused her position as his therapist to establish an inappropriate emotional connection.” The claim said she continued her role as the teenager’s therapist after he was released in April.

The family’s claim alleges the clinician’s conduct “went overlooked and unreported for months” and that the teenager’s probation officer has changed at least four times since his release.Contra Costa County did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every mo...