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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A supervising deputy probation officer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a felony count of assault under the color of authority against a minor at a juvenile camp in Malibu.
Oscar Cross, 59, could face a maximum of three years in county jail if convicted of the charge, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said last month at a news conference announcing the criminal case.
Cross allegedly used excessive force as he and four other deputy probation officers tried to restrain a juvenile at the Los Angeles County Probation Department's Camp Kilpatrick facility on Oct. 23, 2020, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Gascón noted last month that Cross had completed a four-hour course a day earlier on child abuse prevention and reporting.
"This was a brutal assault on a child by a person entrusted in his care while he was in (the) custody of the probation department," Gascón said.
Gascón noted that a video that the Los Angeles Times obtained was "critical to our ability to charge this case," indicating it showed the youth screaming and crying in pain.
"I think it's hard to dispute when you have a video as clear as this particular video was that depicted the incident and the level of force that was being used and how unnecessary that force was," Gascón said.
Cross remains free on his own recognizance. A date is scheduled to be set Sept. 7 for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to require him to stand trial on the assault charge.