Officials from the Fresno County Sheriff's Department reported that narcotic detectives from the Sheriff's Office have arrested 48-year-old Robert Lopez, booking him on a felony count for smuggling drugs in a juvenile justice campus he was employed at, just off Highway 99 near American Avenue.

Bail was set at $5,000, with Lopez immediately released from Fresno County Jail. Lopez is a juvenile correctional officer with the Fresno County Probation Department. He has been placed on paid administrative leave during this ongoing investigation.

Chief Probation Officer, Kirk Haynes stated, “Our Juvenile Correctional Officers (JCO) are in a critical position of trust and are often the primary adults and even role models with whom our youth interact. The arrest of JCO Robert Lopez for selling, furnishing, or giving away illegal drugs to a person in custody at the Juvenile Justice Campus (Juvenile Hall) reveals unacceptable and abhorrent behavior, especially from someone in a position of authority and trust. Criminal behavior of peace officers in our employ will not be tolerated. Our Probation department will fully cooperate with our fellow Fresno County District Attorney and Sheriff in this investigation and continue to work on procedures to prevent this type of criminal act from occurring in our department.”

Lopez's court date has been set for August 15.