Santa Fe Municipal Court reports DWI/drug treatment-court certification, new hires; provides muffler‑violation statistics

Municipal Court Judge Chad Chittum delivered a biannual update to the Santa Fe City Council on June 11, telling the council the court’s DWI/drug treatment court received certification from the Administrative Office of the Courts’ Therapeutic Justice Center — a designation he said makes Santa Fe the only municipal court in New Mexico with a fully certified treatment court.

Chittum credited the police department, the city prosecutor’s office, the public defender’s office and Vista Wellness for helping achieve certification. He also announced recent staffing additions: Blake Gordon, a licensed therapist serving as the court’s program director; and David Thomas, a former public defender and prosecutor, who is now the court staff attorney and a pro‑tem judge.

Chittum said the court is planning an 18–25 year old court program focused on self-control, anger management, life and vocational skills, and substance‑use awareness, with a target to launch by year’s end. He also said the court will pursue outreach to local schools for limited teen traffic cases.

On enforcement statistics Chittum provided figures for muffler violations: since January 2024, 159 muffler-violation cases were filed; 133 have been resolved. Of those resolved, 99 complied by fixing mufflers or otherwise coming into compliance, 20 resulted in convictions (fines), 12 were dismissed by the prosecutor through plea agreements, two were untimely filed by officers, and 26 remained unresolved at the time of the report. Chittum said full breakdowns would be provided in future reports upon request.

Chittum also said the court is fully staffed with a clerk starting later in June and that he was grateful for staff contributions. Councilors thanked him and asked follow-up questions about programs and future reporting.