Female LA County Corrections officer, 51, is arrested for rape of juvenile boy inmate: Authorities discovered a cell phone containing lewd images as well as a container full of prescription pills in her bag

A Los Angeles County probation officer was arrested last week on charges of having a sexual relationship with a male juvenile inmate.

Rafaela Martinez, 51, was arrested March 7 and charged with having sex with an inmate, arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes, bringing contraband into a prison and unauthorized possession of a wireless communication device.

She was not named in a statement from the department, but an anonymous law enforcement source confirmed her identity to the LA Times.

Booking records reviewed by DailyMail.com show Martinez was arrested on a felony charge and is being held at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood.

Investigators learned of ‘a sexual relationship involving a female probation officer on duty with a male juvenile inmate’ after finding a contraband cell phone at the Dorothy Kirby Center in Commerce.

“Information supported by a warrant led investigators to communications between the detained juvenile and corrections officers,” the department said.

‘Some of these communications appeared to have occurred while the employee was at work and there were images that are of a sexual nature.’

When investigators confronted Martinez, “she provided statements corroborating information that confirmed the observed communications were with her,” the statement read.

A cell phone and ‘prescription pill container containing various types of pills in varying amounts’ were found on Martinez and inside her personal bag.

The 51-year-old was arrested the same day the investigation began.

This marks the first arrest by the Correctional Service’s Youth Safety and Welfare Taskforce, which was set up in February to crack down on drugs and other contraband.

The task force will forward the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office once the investigation is complete.

In a statement, County Executive Hilda Solis condemned the ‘disturbing pattern of staff who are in roles to protect preying on those in need of guidance and protection.’

“Additionally, it was disappointing that these staff were also found bringing pills into our facilities when many of our youth have suffered from overdoses and substance abuse,” Solis said in a statement.

She called on the department to ‘thoroughly investigate’ the incident and ‘discipline anyone, including staff, who continues to harm our youth.’

The county already faces a number of lawsuits from former inmates alleging sexual abuse dating back to 1972.

Earlier this year, a young man claimed that a female officer he had met in custody had made romantic advances toward him after his release in 2023, the LA Times reported.

Sources told the publication that the allegations had been forwarded to the California Department of Justice.

In a 2023 budget, Los Angeles County Executive Fesia Davenport estimated the county could pay out anywhere between $1.6 billion to $3 billion for more than 3,000 allegations of childhood sexual abuse.

Solis praised the Department of Corrections for taking ‘swift action’ against Martinez.

But, she continued, “there must be a clear message of a zero-tolerance policy for any type of abuse and swift consequences that follow to stamp out the culture that enables these crimes to occur.”