The Chaves County Sheriff and his deputies had to assume control of the Chaves County Detention Center after a jail administrator abruptly resigned last week and walked off the job.
“I have taken over the jail at this time with my deputies to provide assistance to the jailers who are still on campus at this time,” Mike Herrington, the Chaves County Sheriff in a Facebook video.
The jail went into lockdown, Herrington said, after the jail administrator Justin Porter handed in his resignation without offering a reason for stepping down, and while all of his colleagues were out of town. Porter had overseen operations at the Detention Center for a year and a half, according to the Roswell Daily Record.
Herrington told KOB 4 News his deputies are rotating inside the jail, maintaining order and allowing inmates to shower.
“It is important to know that the medical staff at the jail also walked out and were told by their bosses that they could not remain on campus at the jail until safety concerns were met, and also an administrator was in place,” he said, according to KOB 4 News.
The medical staff eventually returned once Herrington and his deputies took over to ensure safety. Herrington also contacted the Roswell Fire Department and ambulance service to park outside the Chaves County Detention Center to assist with any medical needs.
“It is under control. My deputies are running the control centers, and I am also out here, and we are working alongside the Chaves County Detention Center staff,” Herrington said, according to KOB 4 News. “Everything is okay, and it is being taken care of.”
It remains unclear why the administrator stepped down. Chaves County Manager Bill Williams will oversee the administrative duties of the facility until a replacement for Porter is found. Porter resigned while the Detention Center's security chief was on a preapproved leave, and two lieutenants were also out. One was gone that day due to illness and another was at a doctor's appointment.
According to Wikipedia, as of the 2020 census, the population of Chaves County was 65,157. Its county seat is Roswell. Chaves County comprises the Roswell, New Mexico, Micropolitan Statistical Area