Española police chief to step down
Española Police Chief Matthew Vigil, whom a grand jury recently indicted on criminal charges stemming from domestic incidents, will step down at the end of the month.
The city of Española’s human resources director, Sally Baxter, said Monday that Vigil’s retirement will be effective Sept. 1.
Baxter didn’t say why Vigil, 41, is leaving. The police chief did not return a phone message from The New Mexican seeking comment.
Vigil, a Taos resident who became chief in May after Española’s former chief, Richard Gallegos, retired, was placed on administrative leave by Española Mayor Alice Lucero after a Taos County grand jury returned the indictments on Thursday.
The first indictment references an October 2016 incident during which police say Vigil touched his wife in a “rude, insolent or angry manner.” The second indictment is in connection with a March 31 incident in Taos during which police say Vigil threw a pair of shoes at his 13-year-old daughter and tried to prevent the girl from using a phone.
Taos attorney Alan Maestas, who is listed as Vigil’s lawyer on court documents, was out of the office and unavailable for questions Monday, an employee at his law office said.
Mayor Lucero didn’t return a phone message from The New Mexican on Monday seeking comment.
Court documents show all judges in the 8th Judicial District were automatically recused from the case and have asked a court clerk to request that the state Supreme Court appoint a judge.
Vigil worked as a state police officer from 1997 until 2011 in the same judicial district, which includes the counties of Taos, Colfax and Union. His wife works as a clerk in the same courthouse where the three judges serve.
Vigil resigned from the state police in 2011 after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, but he was not convicted on that charge. He later worked in the Rio Arriba County Sheriff ’s Office and in 2014 lost in a crowded Democratic primary race for Taos County sheriff.
Vigil is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on two counts of child abuse, two counts of bribery of a witness, one count of interference with communications and one count of battery against a household member.