In late May, members of the Monterey County Probation Department discovered inappropriate communication between a departmental employee and an inmate at the Monterey County Jail. Chief Probation Officer Todd Keating immediately reached out to Sheriff Bernal and requested that the Sheriff’s Office conduct an internal investigation into the contact between the inmate and the probation department employee.
The Sheriff’s Office Professional Standards Division launched an investigation and in late June, learned information that the investigation may be criminal in nature. The Investigation was turned over to the Investigations Division Sexual Assault Unit. Our investigation revealed that the victim in this case was a minor who was a resident at the Monterey County Youth Center located in Salinas.
During his residency it was learned that Director Jennifer Butz-Tavares had inappropriate sexual contact with the victim while he was a minor. The relationship continued once the victim was released from custody and after he became an adult. Butz-Tavares was immediately placed on administrative leave by the Probation Department once the criminal allegations were made known to Probation Department’s management team.
Today the Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division served search warrants at Butz-Tavares’ residence and at her office located at the Youth Center. Butz-Tavares was taken into custody and lodged into the Monterey County Jail on PC 288.3(a) – Communication with a minor for the purposes of sex, PC 647.6(a) – Annoy or molest a child, PC 243.4(e)(1) – Sexual Battery, PC 149 – Assault under the color of Authority and PC 136.1(b)(1) – Dissuading a victim from reporting. Butz-Tavares’ bail is currently set at 30,000.00.
Anyone with information about Jennifer Butz-Tavarez or this case is asked to contact Detective Rosy Silva at 831-755-3818 or Detective Sergeant Bryan Hoskins at 831-755-3773.