Former jail supervisor busted in Las Vegas

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested fugitive and former McKinley County Adult Detention Center supervisor Bryan Orr this week in connection with the sexual assault of two female inmates.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Calligan on Friday confirmed Orr's arrest in the Las Vegas area. Orr was wanted in McKinley County on charges of criminal sexual contact with an inmate. The charges stem from his tenure as a lieutenant at the detention center.

He resigned from his position with the facility in 2005 and failed to appear for his arraignment on the criminal charges in August.

Sheila Black, 28, and Christine Herden, 23, had been jailed at the detention center in Gallup in 2003 because there was no room for them at the Wyoming Women's Center in Lusk.

The women claim Orr sexually assaulted and took nude pictures of them during their stay at the facility. Orr is also a target of a federal lawsuit filed by The American Civil Liberties Union that cites "cruel and unusual punishment" on his behalf. The McKinley County Board of Commissioners and former managing agent, Management and Training Corporation, were also named in the suit for failure to properly supervise and train Orr.

Calligan said law enforcement officials suspected Orr to be in the Las Vegas area and received an address of his alleged whereabouts.

New Mexico State Police Investigator Henrietta Soland reportedly worked to locate Orr and with the cooperation of Las Vegas police, he was arrested this week.

Calligan said Orr was scheduled for a court date Friday in Las Vegas and that he would then decide whether to wave extradition to McKinley County to face the felony charges.