LAS CRUCES - Doña Ana County Detention Center Director Christopher Barela placed on leave Friday after he was charged with purchasing marijuana from undercover sources on four separate occasions earlier this year, according to court records obtained by the Sun-News.

Barela, 54, who has been the jail's director since December 2005, was charged in a criminal complaint with four counts of marijuana possession, records show.

The misdemeanor drug charges come more than a year and a half since Barela was arrested by sheriff’s detectives on fraud and embezzlement charges in a case that was eventually dismissed for lack of evidence.

Unlike the earlier case, a warrant for Barela's arrest was not issued in the drug case. Instead, a summons ordering Barela to appear in Doña Ana County Magistrate Court will likely be issued at a later date.

"I'm surprised by what's going on," Barela told the Sun-News on Friday. He declined to comment further but added that he first learned of the charges on Friday morning. He is being represented by Las Cruces attorney Michael Stout.

A police affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint revealed that Metro Narcotics investigators in April were tipped off to allegations that Barela had been purchasing marijuana every five to 10 days "on a consistent basis" for about two years.

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The allegations came from two confidential sources. Their names were not included in the affidavit.

The investigators then discovered information on a cellphone linking Barela to a Facebook Messenger account that had been used to facilitate marijuana purchases, the affidavit states. The public name on the account was "Kris Barela," and the associated profile picture depicted an image of the jail director, according to the affidavit.

Barela had allegedly used code words such as "Hatch Green Chile" for marijuana, and had inquired about prices and pick-up times.

Investigators received court approval on April 27 to carry out reverse-transaction operations with laboratory-tested marijuana designated for investigative purposes.

On May 10, investigators conducted the first of four reverse transactions with Barela, according to the affidavit. Barela, the affidavit states, arrived at a "preset location" in a silver Lexus and purchased 30 grams of marijuana for $40 from a confidential source.

Barela allegedly made similar purchases on May 18, May 31 and June 14, according to the affidavit. In total, Barela allegedly purchased about 120 grams of marijuana during the four transactions.

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When reached for comment on Friday, county spokesman Jess Williams said Barela's direct supervisor, Interim County Manager Chuck McMahon, was not aware of the drug charges and couldn't otherwise comment because "this would be a personnel matter." The detention center is operated by the county government.

But Williams said Barela had been placed on "indefinite" administrative leave around 4:30 p.m. Friday.

During his time as jail director, Barela has had previous brushes with the law. He was the target of a fraud investigation by the sheriff's office in 2015 that culminated with his arrest on Dec. 8, 2015. And he was arrested in February 2007 on charges that he assaulted a Las Cruces police officer, according to Sun-News archives.

Barela’s 2015 arrest sparked months of tumult in county government and legal battles between county management and Sheriff Enrique “Kiki” Vigil, who temporarily assumed control of the jail after Barela’s highly-publicized arrest. A judge later ruled that Vigil had no right to run the jail.

Vigil, who was in his first year as sheriff, announced Barela’s arrest during a county commission meeting and staged two news conferences. The second conference turned into a clash of officials when then County Manager Julia Brown delivered a temporary restraining order to Vigil, ordering his deputies to vacate the jail grounds.

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Meanwhile, Barela, who was arrested around 6 a.m. at his home, was transported to Lovington, in southeastern New Mexico, and booked into the Lea County Detention Center. He had been charged with fraud and embezzlement over $20,000, and other charges.

But the sheriff’s case against Barela quickly unraveled. The investigation, led by then Detective Ken Roberts, who is now undersheriff, took more than six months to complete, and resulted in some 7,000 pages of documents.

Barela had been accused of misusing — but not pocketing — thousands of dollars from the jail's inmate welfare fund over a five-year period, according to court documents. But the fraud and embezzlement charges that had been filed against him were dismissed within months for lack of evidence.

And Barela, who had been placed on paid leave at the time of his arrest, was back in charge of the detention center by April 2016, earning an annual salary of about $108,000. He threatened legal action against the county over his arrest but settled his claims for $201,000 in August 2016.

Barela's legal threats have continued this year. Last month, he filed notice with the county that he intends to sue District 5 Commissioner John Vasquez over allegations of abuse of power, libel, slander and defamation of character.

Carlos Andres López can be reached 575-541-5453, carlopez@lcsun-news.com or @carlopez_los on Twitter.