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The new directive came two weeks after Hannah Tubbs, 26, was sentenced to
two years in a juvenile facility for sexually assaulting a child in 2014

A change by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon to modify a policy that bans trying juveniles as adults is merely a "PR stunt" in
response to his decision not to transfer the case of a transgender suspect accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl several years ago to an
adult court, one of his prosecutors said.

A memo dated Wednesday from Chief Deputy District Attorney Sharon L. Woo, Gascon's second in command, said prosecutors must get special approval
from their chain of command before opposing a motion by defense counsel to transfer a case from adult court to a juvenile court. Previously,
prosecutors were allowed to object and the matter was never an issue,
Deputy District Attorney Shea Sanna told Fox News.

"This whole memo is a PR stunt so when they get questioned from the press… because Gascon has already said there's a blanket policy that no juvenile
is going to be tried as an adult," he said. "Nothing has been changed. He doubled down and now they want to make it appear that there's some
evaluation by asking Sharon Woo for permission to object."

LA COUNTY DA GEORGE GASCON SAY PROSECUTORIAL POLICIES BASED ON ‘SCIENCE’
AMID RENEWED CRITICISM

The new directive came two weeks after Hannah Tubbs, 26, was sentenced to
two years in a juvenile facility for sexually assaulting a child in 2014
while in a women's bathroom. At the time of the crime, she was just two
weeks from turning 18 and identified as male and went by James.

The top prosecutor declined to motion that the case be moved to an adult
court and Tubbs was tried as a juvenile, which elicited criticism from
county elected officials and Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Because
the case was handled in juvenile court, Tubbs is not required to register
as a sex offender when she is released.

Sanna was the lead prosecutor on the case before he was removed.

Alex Bastian, Gascón’s special advisor, told Fox News the new directive
was necessary so the DA's office can keep track of cases that could be
brought back to Los Angeles County in the coming months. .

"There are a series of California Supreme Court decisions that will be
decided in the coming months and we anticipate numerous cases returning to
our jurisdiction as a result," he said. "We want to be aware of these
cases as they return so that we can add another layer of review to
evaluate each case individually."

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The state's high court is expected this summer to rule on a case that
could increase the number of cases under Proposition 57. The 2016 voter- approved measure allows judges to determine whether juveniles should be prosecuted and sentenced as adults.

Sanna said the aim of the memo is to control prosecutors and so Gascon and senior-level officials in his office can be notified when cases similar to Tubbs' case are being handled so they aren't caught by surprise. Moreover,
it's an effort to give the appearance of some type of independent
evaluation, he said.

"Check back in six months and I bet not one request to object will be
granted, Sanna said. "And he just put all the defense attorneys on
notice."

"Only the worst of the worst cases is when a juvenile is tried as an
adult. To hear that the DA is not going to object to the suspect being transferred back to juvenile court, it re-victimizes the victim," he
added. "The administration never ever, ever addresses the victim. It only addresses the defendant or the defense attorney."

Gascon has vowed to not try juvenile suspects as adults, citing research
that said a child's brain does fully mature until they are in their 20s.
Such blanket policies have left victims in the lurch, Sanna said.

In addition to the backlash from Tubbs' case, Gascon is also facing a
second recall attempt and recently lost the support of former Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.

"I based my support for the election of District Attorney George Gascón on
the hope he would advance public safety in Los Angeles and because of our
close personal relationship of over 30 years," Beck said in a statement
last week. "After observing the negative effects of his policies and
practices on public safety, I am compelled to rescind that endorsement."

https://www.foxnews.com/us/la-county-prosecutor-blasts-policy-change-on- juvenile-cases-amid-controversy-over-trans-child-molester-case

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