By Matt Robinson
Deming Headlight
LUNA COUNTY, N.M. — Following the chief and warden of the Luna County Detention Center being put on paid administrative leave, the facility is again at the center of woes for the county.
Warden John Krehbiel and his chief, Lionel Lozano, were put on paid leave Friday, May 20. County manager John Sutherland, Jr., would not comment on why the two were put on leave, but said Mark Jasso has been named interim director of the facility.
“However the related issue is that I have decided to take a more direct role in addressing administrative and operational issues at the Detention Center for an undetermined period of time until the issues are resolved,” Sutherland wrote via electronic mail after his office requested questions be directed through e-mail.
He wrote that he is dissatisfied with the execution of the center’s duty to deliver “custody, control and care” to the inmates. Additionally, he wrote he is dissatisfied with the deployment of personnel and scheduling and employee morale at the jail.
“All three of these issues play together to create an environment of discipline which is critical to fulfilling our mission at the Detention Center and keeping the citizens safe,” he added.
The issue is not revenue, he says, despite the facility running at about $35,000 more in expenditures than revenues for the year ending June 30, 2011.
The latest installment of the ongoing county drama follows the April 2011 escape of three inmates and the death of Chris Aparicio, 24. Aparicio died on life support in a Las Cruces hospital following an early March 2011 taser incident. The three escaped inmates were captured shortly after breaching the containment at the detention center.
There is also an ongoing investigation being held by the Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office into an audit performed on the books of the jail. Sutherland has previously said the scope of the audit investigation falls before his and Kriehbel’s time on the job.
Kriehbel became warden in 2009 after Sutherland was hired as county manager.
Copyright 2011 Deming Headlight, a MediaNews Group Newspaper
All Rights Reserved