Doña Ana County jail head placed on paid leave

Doña Ana County Manager Brian Haines has placed jail Administrator Chris Barela on paid administrative leave during an internal investigation of the events surrounding his arrest on Saturday.

Barela, 42, was arrested Saturday night and charged with battery on a police officer and resisting arrest. He was taken to the jail he runs, but released after posting $1,000 bail.

“I have authorized an internal investigation to determine the facts surrounding the matter from the time of Mr. Barela’s arrest to the time of his release on bail from the Doña Ana County Detention Center,” Haines said in a news release. “I have placed Mr. Barela on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, the results of which will assist me in proceeding properly in the interests of Doña Ana County.”

In the meantime, Major Cheryl Roach will run the jail.

“Mr. Barela is innocent until proven otherwise, and this is a personnel matter about which the county will have no further comment at this time,” Haines said.

Barela called police to his home in Las Cruces on Saturday evening. Police say they were responding to a call about another man who lives in the home, was suicidal and had a knife.

They say Barela assaulted officers after one of them drew a taser.

The suicidal man, who the county says is Barela’s cousin, was also arrested.