Former County Deputy Probation Officer Sentenced to 11 Years in State Prison

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Former Santa Barbara County Deputy Probation Officer was sentenced to 11 years in state prison on Thursday.

On April 27, 2023, retired deputy probation officer Manuel Edward Torres pled guilty to a felony charge of theft of public funds raking up to approximately $635,000 between 2009 and June 2019.

Torres started his role as a Deputy Probation Officer for the Santa Barbara County Probation Department 1986 until he retired in 2019, according to a press release by the Santa Barbara District Attorney.

He was President of the non-profit Santa Barbara County Probation Peace Officers Association for more than 20 years. After a year-long investigation, the District Attorney found that Torres was embezzling from the SBCPPOA account.

The sentencing took place on Friday in the Santa Barbara Superior Court where Judge Pauline Maxwell determined Torres will serve an 11 year sentence in state prison.