California: Therapist Charged With Grooming and S*xually Abusing Teen After Juvenile Hall Release
Contra Costa County prosecutors have charged former behavioral health clinician Sofia Ann-Buitron Drotts, 26, with seven felonies after alleging she groomed a teenage boy while treating him in juvenile hall and later sexually abused him after his release. The victim’s family has filed a civil claim against the county, saying staff missed warning signs and failed to protect him.
A former Contra Costa County behavioral health clinician is facing seven felony charges after prosecutors say she groomed a teenage boy while treating him in juvenile hall and later raped him after his release. Sofia Ann-Buitron Drotts, 26, of San Francisco, was arrested July 14 and has since been released, according to officials.
Prosecutors said Drotts was assigned to the 17-year-old boy at John Davis Juvenile Detention Center in Martinez, then continued contact after he was released on probation. The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office said the alleged s*xual relationship took place between April 1 and July 14, and the case includes charges of unlawful s*xual intercourse, oral copulation with a person under 18, s*xual penetration by a foreign object, sending harmful matter to a minor, and possession of child or youth po*nography. Nebraska S*x Trafficking Bust: Gujarati Woman Used Hidden Hotel Cameras To Monitor S*xual Abuse of 2 Teenage Girls Live.
Therapist Accused Of Grooming Teen In Juvenile Hall
The boy’s family has also filed a civil claim against Contra Costa County, arguing that county employees and supervisors missed warning signs and failed to stop the abuse. Attorney John Burris, who represents the family, said Drotts abused her position as the teen’s therapist and “groomed” him over time.
Arrest Followed Tip
Concord police said the investigation began after they received a tip from a supervisor in the probation department. Drotts was arrested July 14 after investigators reviewed the allegations, and the case was later referred to prosecutors for charging. Dhaval Amratbhai Patel Case: Indian-Origin Man Living Illegally in US Assaults Man With Baseball Bat After Argument; Arrested.
The victim’s mother said the family came forward to protect other potential victims. “We trusted this professional with our son’s healing and well-being, and that trust was fundamentally shattered,” she said.
Burris said the county’s monitoring systems failed. “Whatever protocols were in place to monitor young probationary employees did not work, and as a consequence of this, my young man was vulnerable to her conduct,” he said.
The complaint says Drotts began grooming the teen in 2024, when he was 14 or 15, and continued after he left juvenile hall. Prosecutors have not said whether she has entered a plea.
Social media posts and college content identified Drotts as a University of Wisconsin–Madison graduate, and a 2022 post said she planned to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Palo Alto University. Her online author page also described her as a Spanish speaker and Chicago native.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 29, 2026 08:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
