ABC-7 Obtains Copy of Complaint Filed By DA County Sheriff Vigil

The ABC-7 I-Team has obtained a copy of the complaint Dona Ana County Sheriff, Kiki Vigil, filed with the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office.

In the complaint, Vigil accuses county commissioners of violating New Mexico’s Open Meetings Act.

Sheriff Vigil alleges commissioners illegally went behind closed doors for a budget discussion that affects his department.

“The closed session was conducted in a deliberate and premeditated fashion with the intent of circumventing public participation and input as well as discouraging the local press from reporting on an important public matter, thereby violating both the letter and the spirit of the (law),” said Vigil.

Vigil accuses Commission Chair, Billy Garrett, and Vice-Chair, Wayne Hancock, of organizing the alleged violation, along with an assistant county attorney and deputy county manager.