The family of a boy who was allegedly groomed and sexually abused by a Contra Costa County therapist while he was incarcerated has filed a claim against the county. The boy’s parents filed the claim with the help of Oakland-based civil rights attorney John Burris, who said in a news release tha t Sofia Ann-Buitron Drotts allegedly began grooming the teen when he was 14 or 15 years old in 2024. At the time, the boy, identified as John Doe in the claim, was serving two years in Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall, where Drotts was assigned as his therapist. “During the two years in which Doe was incarcerated at the juvenile Hall, Drotts abused her position as his therapist to establish an inappropriate emotional connection with DOE, ‘grooming’ him with the objective of sexual abuse,” the claim states. After the child was released on probation, Drotts continued to serve as his therapist through Contra Costa Health and allegedly had “unlawful sexual contact” with him. The claim also alleges that a “team of County agents and supervisors failed to identify the red flags or supervise Drotts, and so the sexual abuse continued.” Contra Costa County officials didn’t immediately respond Monday to a request for comment on the allegations. Drotts, a 26-year-old San Francisco resident, was arrested by Concord police earlier this month but is no longer in custody and, according to a Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson, her case is still under review for possible criminal charges. The abuse came to light in June after the boy broke the terms of his release, which he allegedly did with Drotts’ encouragement — missing school and ignoring his curfew “to rendezvous with Drotts in violation of his probation,” according to the claim, the filing of which is the first step in the process of suing the county. During a search of the boy’s home, county probation and Concord police officers allegedly found evidence that eventually led to Drotts’ arrest. “It was not until this illegal search occurred and DOE’S personal items were seized that anyone from Contra Costa County reported or began to investigate the egregious abuse of John Doe,” according to the claim. The claim targets Contra Costa County, Contra Costa Health, Contra Costa County Juvenile Detention and Contra Costa County Juvenile Probation Department, among other agencies. ...read more read less