Roosevelt County jail administrator resigns

Roosevelt County jail Administrator David Casanova resigned on Friday, County Manager Amber Hamilton confirmed.

Hamilton said although Casanova gave two weeks notice, he and county officials agreed the resignation would be effective immediately.

Casanova could not be reached for comment, but a story by the Crookston Times in Crookston, Minnesota, said Casanova had been hired as the new administrator for the Northwest Regional Corrections Center.

Casanova’s first day at the job will be July 1, the newspaper reported.

Casanova said last week that he has been out on medical leave since April.

“There has just been a lot going on at the detention center,” Hamilton said, adding that policies and procedures have been changing during Casanova’s absence as well as new supervisory leadership coming in, all in preparation for being state accredited.

Hamilton said the open position will be on Thursday’s commission meeting agenda.

Casanova was hired as Roosevelt County’s jail administrator in November 2009. His annual salary was $52,000, according to Portales News-Tribune records. He came to Roosevelt County from Taos County.

He was hired after former administrators Don Burdine and Charles Perez left in the fall of 2009.