Did Aztec Judge Make Bail Officer’s Work Harder?

An Aztec municipal judge is accused of alerting a defendant that a bail officer was en route to arrest him.

The district attorney's office said Barbara Aldaz-Mills was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor encouraging violation of bail. She declines comment.

Her attorney, Victor Titus, said the charge is a legal impossibility, and he is advising her to vigorously challenge it.

A bail bondsman had gone to Durango, Colo., to arrest a man May 6 after a bail bond company requested that the man's $1,800 bond be revoked.

The Daily Times in Farmington reports the judge is accused of leaving a telephone message for the man, warning him that officers were coming to arrest him and to return to court to resolve the situation.