Judge: Ex-UNM President’s Website Not ‘A House Of Prostitution’

A state district judge has ruled that the website of a former University of New Mexico president accused of helping run an online prostitution ring is not illegal.

The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/LBgbfj) that state District Judge Stan Whitaker ruled this week that neither a website, an online message board nor a computer amount of former University of New Mexico President F. Chris Garcia is a “house of prostitution or a place where prostitution is practiced, encouraged or allowed.”

The case was scheduled to go before a grand jury this week.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Mark Drebing said the state’s options are to reschedule the grand jury presentment and either abide by Whitaker’s order, come up with different charges or appeal the judge’s order to the state Supreme Court.