Clark County Juvenile Justice Services director placed on leave
The director of Clark County Juvenile Justice Services has been placed on leave.
County officials confirmed with Channel 13 that John Munoz was placed on administrative leave as of July 9 due to an ongoing investigation into the department.
The county did not say what the investigation was regarding but did clarify it is not related to a federal lawsuit filed against the county, which preceded his time as director.
The Clark County Juvenile Justice Services department has been under increased scrutiny in recent months.
In April, a federal lawsuit was filed against several state agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Division of Child and Family Services, Clark County, Clark County commissioners, and multiple officers.
The lawsuit alleges that nearly 100 people were physically or sexually assaulted while in juvenile detention and correctional facilities, including the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center and the Summit View Youth Center in North Las Vegas between 2001 and 2024.
"The abuse at [these facilities] was not a matter of isolated misconduct by a few rogue employees," the lawsuit reads in part. "Rather, it reflects a longstanding, systemic failure on the part of Nevada state officials and counties to address red flags, properly supervise staff, and create conditions that could prevent such abuse."
The plaintiffs allege that detention center staff used their official positions of authority to "coerce, manipulate, and silence juvenile detainees, threatening to withhold food, visitation, hygiene products, or to impose solitary confinement unless the minors submitted to sexual abuse."
