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Warden of New Mexico's biggest jail put on administrative leave
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Metropolitan Detention Center Warden Jason Jones has been put on administrative leave, County Manager Julie Morgas Baca confirmed Tuesday.
The leave officially started Monday, she said.
Morgas Baca is listed as Jones’ manager in the Bernalillo County transparency portal; she would not provide details about the reason for the leave. Morgas Baca said no decision has been made on whether an investigation is warranted.
“You just have to take precautions,” Morgas Baca said.
Jones, a former corrections officer who rose through the ranks to become a warden, was hired in October 2022, according to a Bernalillo County news release.
Before coming to MDC, Jones was the warden of the East Hidalgo Detention Center in La Villa, Texas.
Deputy Warden Rosanne Otero Gonzales has been named interim warden, Morgas Baca said. She served as interim warden once before, when the county searched for a replacement for retiring warden Greg Richardson.
In the year that Jones has been warden, the facility has seen changes.
In February, the jail parted ways with its for-profit health care provider following a string of inmate deaths that started in 2020.
Bernalillo County terminated its contract with health care provider YesCare to partner with the University of New Mexico Health Systems.
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Recently, the facility has been strained because of a surge in arrests amid staffing shortages, leading to the transfer of some inmates to the Santa Fe Penitentiary. In mid-November, the staff vacancy rate was reported to be around a third.
About 1,400 inmates are currently housed at the jail.
