Public commenter alleges mistreatment, poor food at Taos County jail; commissioners urged to inspect facility

A resident told the Taos County Commission on Aug. 19 that corrections officers at the county jail mistreat inmates and that meal service is inadequate. The speaker urged commissioners and county leadership to conduct a walkthrough and address alleged problems.

"How many times can you eat a bologna sandwich and a ham sandwich?" Yolanda Montoya said during the public-comment period, adding she believed a jail staffer lacked a dietitian credential and that corrections officers had intentionally left a plastic commissary bag in a cell, causing disciplinary lockdowns. Montoya named a corrections officer she identified as "Mr. Leroy Vigil" in describing a recent incident.

Montoya said she had raised the issue with jail staff and county managers and that she had not received substantive responses. She urged county leaders to use planned sidewalk radiant-heating funds instead to address jail problems.

The commission did not take action during the public-comment period; commissioners and staff noted legal limits on responding in public comment and advised that complaints are handled through the sheriff’s office investigative process. There was no formal directive recorded at the meeting for a facility walkthrough.

Why it matters: allegations of mistreatment and inadequate care at a county jail raise concerns about detainee welfare and can trigger internal investigations or policy reviews if referred through appropriate channels.

The commenter said she had provided the county with messages and evidence but had not yet received a response from several offices she contacted.