Sea World Suspends 50 After Probe Turns Up Violations
About 50 Sea World employees have been suspended indefinitely, and more may be suspended later this week in connection with an internal probe of theft and drug use and sales at the private marine park, a spokesman said Monday.
Dan LeBlanc, a Sea World spokesman, said some of those suspended are suspected of breaking company policy, and others were simply witnesses to the alleged violations.
The initial suspensions were issued last week. Those affected are still on the park’s payroll, LeBlanc said.
“Fortunately, (the violations) never affected visitor safety or the care of our animals,” he said, adding that the investigation and further suspensions will be completed this week. The probe, which LeBlanc said began last summer, was conducted by Narcorp, a private detective firm that specializes in undercover narcotics enforcement. LeBlanc would not specify what Narcorp uncovered, but he said several Sea World policies had been violated.
Because most of those suspended are teen-agers or in their early 20s, LeBlanc said Sea World has not yet decided whether to contact police.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
