DEMING – The Luna County Board of County Commissioners voted 3-0 to censure Sheriff Mike Eby at its Sept. 10 regular meeting, adding to a dispute between the sheriff and county government that began in 2023.
The meeting agenda listed threatened or pending litigation concerning the “Censure of Sheriff Mike Eby” as a topic for executive session. Commissioners Ray Trejo, Colette Chandler and Christie Ann Harvey voted in favor of the censure. The commission adjourned after the vote without an extended public discussion of the allegations.
According to a two-page censure resolution reported by the Albuquerque Journal, commissioners accused Eby of using his position to selectively submit misconduct complaints against Sheriff’s Office personnel in pursuit of his personal interests. A censure is a formal expression of disapproval; the resolution’s allegations are not a criminal conviction or a court finding.
Eby rejected the commission’s characterization, calling the resolution “a bunch of bunk” in comments to the Journal. He said the complaints were legitimate and maintained that county officials had misled him about investigations into them.
The disagreement follows a civil case Luna County filed against Eby in August 2023. The county sought a writ of mandamus and a declaratory judgment, alleging that personnel actions taken by the sheriff violated state law, county ordinances and a collective bargaining agreement. Eby described the lawsuit at the time as “frivolous and malicious.”
The personnel dispute involved the demotion and reassignment of two Sheriff’s Office captains and changes involving a corporal. The county said the employees filed grievances that it granted, but alleged that Eby did not follow its direction to restore them to their previous assignments. In September 2023, District Judge Jim Foy issued a writ directing Eby to reinstate the captains and return the corporal to patrol duty unless the sheriff challenged the writ and appeared in court.
The county’s filing also accused Eby of exceeding the Sheriff’s Office budget and failing to follow procurement requirements. It raised questions about reimbursements, purchasing cards and the use of certain state law-enforcement funds. Other allegations concerned uniforms, facial-hair rules, overtime, discipline, positions created without county approval and the handling of an investigation connected to a fatal crash. Those claims were made in the county’s civil filing and were disputed by Eby.
The censure came after Eby lost the June Republican primary for sheriff to Glenn R. Chadborn. Official state election results show Chadborn received 683 votes, or 54.3%, to Eby’s 574 votes, or 45.7%. Eby remains the sitting sheriff for the rest of his term.
The official recording of the Sept. 10 commission meeting is available through Luna County’s meeting archive.
John Krehbiel – Bravo Mic Communications News, LLC – John@Bravomic.com
