30 people accused the probation officer of sexual abuse. He won't face charges

On April 7, the claims committee approved a long-standing $4 billion settlement, a massive lawsuit by victims who said they were sexually abused in lockdown and foster homes they operated, so many eyes turned to Los Angeles County.

The same day, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office quietly determined another decision: the person who appears in the lawsuit is the most prolific abuser who will not face criminal charges.

The Meplination Memo on April 7 said Thomas Jackson, 58, a former probation officer, was accused of sexually abused by more than 20 women as a minor because the alleged incident happened long ago.

The District Attorney's Office also refused to prosecute Altovise Abner, 46, who investigated sexual intercourse with minors at the camp in 2006, according to another April 7 memorandum.

Los Angeles County claims have flooded nearly 7,000 plaintiffs’ claims, who they said were abused by caregivers, probation officers or foster parents in county custody as state lawmakers provided a new window for victims of child sexual abuse in 2020.

County officials transferred only two of the cases (cases against Abner and Jackson) to the District Attorney’s Office for investigation in December 2023. Not charging their decision means that no new criminal prosecution is made up of allegations that constitute the largest sexual abuse solution in U.S. history.

The charges considered against Attorney Jackson include statutory rape, oral sex with minors and forced infiltration, according to a memo of denial by Deputy District Attorney Melanie Buccat.

According to Buccat's memorandum of rejection, Abner's potential allegations, including statutory rape, cannot be proven and have to go beyond the regulations.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the DA's office said the alleged sexual assault in the probation facility was “very disturbing.” The statement said the office remains “strongly committed to seeking the commitment of justice as much as possible and we urge anyone with potential crime to report it so we can act promptly under the law.”

County officials said the lack of records has made it impossible to defend against these lawsuits, thus facilitating a major solution in history. The same problem also makes it difficult to investigate claims of criminal prosecution, they say.

Many victims are children when they are abused and they never know the name of the abuser. The offender is usually identified in the lawsuit as some changes to John Doe, with few details. Records that confirm these allegations, some of which date back to the 1950s, disappeared. People have moved away or died.

Jackson resigned in 2023 after thirty years in the county, a notable exception. His full name has been cited in at least 30 lawsuits, according to documents from four different law firms. Another 26 plaintiffs identified his abuser as Jackson's last name, but did not know one, but according to lawyers from the other two companies.

Courtney Thom's law firm, on behalf of 17 clients, accused Jackson of abuse at the Santa Clarita teenage camp, saying he would be “very disappointed” in his decision not to sue him.

“He allegedly raped and harassed children in unimaginable ways never had a chance – then, now silent,” she wrote in a text message. “It is not only heartbreaking, but also scary.”

Abner, who was on leave in 2023, groped for a 17-year-old lawsuit around 2006 at a teenage camp in Lancaster.

Eberner could not be contacted immediately for comment. Jackson's attorney Tom Yu said his client was innocent and he was glad the case was dropped.