A former Santa Clara female probation officer has been arrested and charged with 17 counts of sexual assault, involving two boys. Tricia Caparra, 36, also faces one felony charge for unlawful access to privileged information related to one of the victims. Her arrest stems from the Probation Department’s reporting of the alleged illicit sexual conduct after one of the victims came forward.
“We were appalled to learn of this employee’s alleged abuse of a minor in our care, and we have worked closely with the Sheriff and District Attorney to ensure they have the information necessary to investigate and now prosecute this individual,” said Chief Probation Officer Laura Garnette. “We support the Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office in pursuing justice, and will continue cooperating with all aspects of the investigation and prosecution.”
Allegations of sexual assault were first reported to the Probation Department on September 3, 2016. As a result of the allegations, Caparra was immediately placed on administrative leave, removing her from any and all duties involving juveniles. That same day, the probation office launched an internal investigation and reported the allegations to the sheriff’s department.
Caparra decided to resign from her job at the probation department on July 10, 2017, while still under investigation.
“This employee violated the trust placed in our Department. This will not be tolerated,” Garnette said. “Our Probation staff have worked compassionately to support both of these youth throughout this ordeal, and we remain committed to providing exemplary care to our youth.”
“The County has zero tolerance for these deplorable acts against clients in our care,” said County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith, M.D., J.D. “The Department took immediate action to report the employee, and implemented steps to prevent this from happening in the future. We trust that the District Attorney’s Office will pursue this case to hold this former employee accountable.”
Authorities ask anyone who has information that might be helpful to the case to contact the Sheriff’s Office Investigative Services Division at (408) 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.
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