Estancia Interim Police Chief Jason Downing has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending an internal investigation.
According to Estancia Town Clerk Michelle Jones, Downing has been the interim chief of police for just over a year and was placed in that position because the town had not had a chief for some time.
“The leave with pay is not punitive,” Jones said.
Estancia Mayor Nathan Dial and Sgt. Tom Carter are heading up the police department in Downing’s absence.
Dial told The Independent that he could not comment on the pending investigation. The next meeting of the Estancia Board of Trustees is June 17.