Hatch village trustees have voted unanimously to fire Police Chief Mike Vega.
Hatch Clerk Administrator Jim Schoonover says that it was a personnel issue.
Vega told the newspaper he was not told why, only that the trustees voted to make the move effective Wednesday. He says that was the day after his wife went into labor with their new baby.
Vega says he had sought a demotion and thought the trustees agreed to his resignation as chief, but he later learned he had been fired.
Vega is Hatch's second police chief terminated since the summer of 2012. Trustees fired former chief Danny Ross, claiming insubordination. Ross denied those claims.
Sgt. Dale Harrison will oversee the police force until a new chief is hired. The department has eight commissioned officers.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
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