Tanja Heitman has been appointed as the permanent chief probation officer for Santa Barbara County, a move that comes as Guadalupe Rabago, who has been on paid administrative leave since January, resigns.
Heitman will take the oath of office Friday afternoon, Superior Court officials announced Thursday.
She has been serving as interim head of the Probation Department since Oct. 31, and has worked at the department for 27 years, most recently as deputy chief for the Adult Division.
“We look forward to her rebuilding the department that needs some strong new leadership,” said Darrel Parker, executive officer of Superior Court.
Heitman will have to replace three chief deputy positions in the Probation Department, including her own and those vacated when Steve DeLira and Lee Bethal retired earlier this year.
Rabago was placed on leave in January for undisclosed reasons after less than two years on the job.
He is resigning, effective Friday, Parker said.
Retired Chief Probation Officer Beverly Taylor filled in as acting head of the department for months, and in October, the county had to replace her with Heitman because of rules regarding how many hours retired employees are allowed to work.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.