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Doña Ana County, Shelter Official Settle Lawsuit

A top animal shelter official's lawsuit against the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office is settled for $90,000.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley executive director Beth Vesco-Mock filed her lawsuit over malicious abuse of process and defamation of character that she says she experienced when misdemeanor charges were filed against her.

A prosecutor dismissed the charges.

Former sheriff's office animal cruelty coordinator Curtis Childress had said Vesco-Mock failed to immediately turn in microchip information for a dog in a livestock attack.

Childress is now retired.

County and city officials oversee the taxpayer-owned shelter.

County attorney Nelson Goodin says nobody involved in the case admits guilt.

The county is responsible for $25,000 of the settlement and its insurer is covering the rest.

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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News. 

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.