A San Bernardino County probation correctional officer was found not guilty of misdemeanor battery on Monday, Aug. 18, in a case in which he was accused of grabbing a Norco teenager.
Juan Uriel Avila, who was 46 at the time, was arrested May 17, 2013.
Deputies responding to the 3000 block of Maricopa Street in Norco about 9:20 p.m. that day found Avila restraining the juvenile. Julia Torres, a spokeswoman for the KIA Law Firm in Riverside, said Avila detained the boy after he had kicked Avila’s door. Avila mistook the prank for an attempted break-in, Torres said.
Avila held the teen while trying to call police, Torres said. Avila eventually took the teen to a neighbor, who called police. The teen had to be treated at a hospital for injuries.
Avila was moved into a position in the Probation Department in which he did not have contact with the public, spokesman Chris Condon said at the time.
The case was tried in Superior Court in Riverside.