Judge rules no law enforcement duties for county sheriff

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) — A judge ruled in favor of Los Alamos County, supporting the county's request to bar Sheriff Marco Lucero from performing law enforcement duties.
The Los Alamos Monitor reports Lucero's attorney, A. Blair Dunn, says he plans to appeal last Wednesday's decision.
Lucero sued the county last August, demanding the New Mexico First District Court decide whether state law takes precedence over the county's charter, which allows the county council to divide duties between the sheriff's office and the county police department as it sees fit.
The county council opted last year to reduce the sheriff's budget to about $7,000 a year and transfer process serving duties and Lucero's executive assistant to the Los Alamos Police Department. Lucero's undersheriff and two deputies were laid off, leaving Lucero with one duty to perform — maintaining the Los Alamos sex offender registry.
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Information from: Los Alamos Monitor, http://www.lamonitor.com