ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A judge has dismissed embezzlement charges filed against a former New Mexico sheriff-turned-judge accused of using taxpayer dollars to buy personal items.
Ex-Torrance County Sheriff Heath White was facing a list of charges including embezzlement and fraud.
State prosecutors say they plan to appeal Judge Charles Brown’s decision.
In a 16-page order, Brown says there were omissions in the search warrant as well as some misleading information and evidence from the search allegedly was suppressed.
The Attorney General’s Office says investigators with New Mexico State Police found several sheriff’s office-owned items on White’s property during a raid in April including guns, surveillance equipment and tools.
White has been suspended from the Magistrate Court bench in Moriarty since May. It’s unclear if White is planning ti return to that job now.
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