By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – A longtime Shelby County Juvenile Court employee will take over for outgoing Juvenile Court Chief Probation Officer John Miller after she received a surprise promotion on Dec. 10.

Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Jim Kramer promoted Juvenile Court employee LeAnn Rigney to the chief probation officer position after Miller retired after more than 30 years of service to the court.

Through the chief probation officer position, Rigney, who is the wife of Alabaster Police Chief Curtis Rigney, will work to manage the day-to-day operation of the county’s Juvenile Court.

“I would like to thank Judge Kramer for the opportunity to serve the children and families of Shelby County,” LeAnn Rigney wrote in a statement. “I look forward to working under his leadership.”

“This office will continue to be child-focused. The families and children that come to us are usually in some type of crisis, and do not understand or know what is happening,” Rigney added. “It is our responsibility to help them through this process, while at the same time protecting the community and holding the child accountable for his or her actions.”

Shelby County Juvenile Court handles cases involving delinquency, children in need of supervision and dependency cases involving children younger than 18.

LeAnn Rigney has been working for Shelby County Juvenile Court Services since February 2007, and has worked with early warning court and truancy court, and regularly maintains a caseload involving delinquency cases. Before working with Juvenile Court, Rigney worked in the area of career technical education for the Shelby County School System.

Rigney is a graduate of Chelsea High School, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is a 2002 graduate of Leadership Shelby County. She has served on the board of directors for the DAY Program and the ARC of Shelby County

“I look forward to working with county and local leaders, law enforcement agencies and county school systems,” Rigney wrote. “We have a professional group of probation officers and staff who are committed to making a difference in the lives of the children we serve.”