![\"Enrique](\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Vigil-Kiki-336x236.jpg\")
<\/a>Courtesy photo<\/p>
Enrique “Kiki” Vigil<\/p><\/div>\n
Later Tuesday, County Manager Julia Brown interrupted<\/a> Vigil’s second news conference of the day to hand him a restraining order<\/a> requiring the sheriff to give up control of the jail and his staff to vacate the facility.<\/p>\n As Brown walked away, and with the media watching, Vigil called the move\u00a0“backdoor” and said he was considering how to respond.<\/p>\n The order, signed by District Judge Manuel I. Arrieta, stated that Vigil “is without any legal authority” to issue an order that interferes with the administration\u00a0of the jail. It required him to return control to county management immediately.<\/p>\n An hour after Brown handed Vigil the judge’s order, around 5 p.m., officials from the sheriff’s department left the jail, county spokesman Jess Williams confirmed.<\/p>\n While county officials were battling\u00a0for control of the jail, its\u00a0administrator, Chris Barela, was hit with\u00a0a felony charge of embezzlement over $20,000 or fraud over $20,000 in the alternative. He also faces charges of bringing contraband (a dangerous weapon) into the jail and willful neglect of duty, sheriff’s investigator Ken Roberts said at a news conference held Tuesday morning after Barela’s arrest.<\/p>\n Barela was taken to a jail in another county to be booked, but officials would not disclose the location.<\/p>\n The embezzlement\/fraud charge\u00a0relates to allegations that Barela misused money in the Inmate Welfare Fund. The fund, which had nearly $800,000 in July, comes from a portion of profits on toiletries, snack items and other goods inmates purchase from a private vendor, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported in September<\/a>.<\/p>\n The fund is used to purchase items such as books, games and cable TV for inmates, and also\u00a0to pay inmates who work at the jail.<\/p>\n On Tuesday,\u00a0Vigil and District Attorney Mark D’Antonio filed\u00a0charges after\u00a0months of investigating use of the fund.\u00a0Barela’s\u00a0arrest is the newest chapter in an ongoing saga involving Vigil and county leaders.<\/p>\n At Tuesday morning’s news conference — the first of two — Vigil\u00a0accused the county manager and attorney of threatening sheriff’s officers who took control of the jail and “trying to cause turmoil.” He criticized county administration for\u00a0taking away his public information officer, Kelly Jameson. And he accused the county of failing to fully comply with subpoenas related to the investigation.<\/p>\n In such a climate, \u201cI had no choice but to take over the county jail to assure the safety of the personnel and the safety of all inmates that have been detained,” Vigil said.<\/p>\n D’Antonio called for cooperation from county government leaders.<\/p>\n “This is not a witch hunt or a manhunt. We\u2019re here to serve justice,” he said.<\/p>\n Jameson couldn’t be reached for comment, nor could County Commission Chairman Billy Garrett.<\/p>\n Vigil and some county commissioners began fighting over revenue from a tax increase soon after he took office in January. Vigil, complaining about his department being underfunded, cut some services<\/a>. County administration\u00a0also cut back,\u00a0closing\u00a0the\u00a0juvenile jail<\/a> and instead housing children in an area in the adult facility to keep up staffing levels.\u00a0Barela and jail staff work for\u00a0the county manager, not the sheriff.<\/p>\n The situation\u00a0spiraled into a battle that has included\u00a0dueling investigations<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Vigil filing a\u00a0federal lawsuit<\/a> alleging retaliation by\u00a0Garrett and Commissioner Wayne Hancock.<\/p>\n