Santa Fe public utilities director accused of stealing box from airport's baggage claim

Dec. 30—Santa Fe Public Works and Utilities Director John Dupuis was arrested over the weekend after he was accused of stealing a box that had been checked as another passenger's luggage at the Santa Fe Regional Airport.

Police allege in a statement of probable cause Dupuis told officers who arrived at his home late Friday night he had taken the box, described as an "old microwave box," because he thought it belonged to a friend and had not yet had a chance to return it to the airport after realizing his mistake.

"John provided no proof to support his claims," the statement says.

Dupuis was booked into the Santa Fe County jail early Saturday on a fourth-degree felony charge of larceny between $500 and $2,500. He faces a maximum penalty of up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine, along with court costs, Santa Fe County Magistrate Judge John Rysanek said at a court hearing Monday afternoon.

Dupuis, who was released on his own recognizance, told the judge he would seek private legal representation.

He did not respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.

City spokeswoman Regina Ruiz wrote in an email Monday that Dupuis had been placed on administrative leave without pay and that Water Division Director Jesse Roach will oversee the Public Utilities Department on an interim basis.

Dupuis, who has been the director of the Public Utilities Department since February 2023, earns $68.55 an hour, or $142,584 annually, according to Ruiz.

The statement of probable cause, filed Monday in Magistrate Court, says a couple who had flown into the Santa Fe Regional Airport from Denver on Friday contacted police after discovering one of their checked items was missing. The box, which contained Christmas presents with a combined value of over $1,000, had reached the airport ahead of them but was not there when they arrived, they said.

An officer who responded to the couple's report reviewed airport security video, which showed a man later identified as Dupuis taking the box from the baggage claim area, the statement says.

According to the statement, Dupuis had picked up two of his own checked bags Friday afternoon, one of which contained a firearm. He was one of a handful of people remaining in the baggage claim area when an airport employee announced a last call for bags about a half-hour later.

"John appears to look around, approaches the old microwave box, and took a picture of it with his phone, and later claimed it as his own," the statement says.

It does not provide details on whether Dupuis had been on personal or business travel.

He drove away from the airport in a Ford F-150 truck licensed to the city, which he was authorized to operate, around 1:30 p.m. Friday. Officers went to his home later that day "and observed the stolen luggage in the bed of the truck with its contents scattered around," according to the statement of probable cause.

The officers detained Dupuis, who agreed to speak with them without an attorney present. The affidavit alleges he admitted to taking a photo of the box and said he believed it belonged to a friend named Jeff, but realized his mistake after leaving the airport.

"He stated that he opened the box, went through the items, and found they did not belong to Jeff," the affidavit says. "John further claimed that he planned to return the box and the contents to the airport but had not done so yet."

Neither member of the couple who owned box — a man and a woman — is named Jeff. It was "clearly marked" with the woman's name, according to the statement.

The box included Lego sets, canvas paintings, a leather pouch, clothes and other items, according to the affidavit. Officers collected the items and notified the owners.

Dupuis' case is scheduled for a status conference hearing Jan. 29, according to online court documents.

He faces an administrative investigation as well as the criminal investigation, city officials said.

Interim City Manager Randy Randall told The New Mexican on Saturday he had no information about Dupuis' arrest at the time but noted the city would conduct an administrative investigation into the incident.

"We are very hopeful this is some sort of misunderstanding," Randall wrote in an email.

Ruiz wrote in an email Monday the city "will cooperate with any criminal investigation and will also conduct its own administrative investigation," which will be managed by the human resources and legal divisions.

Dupuis was arrested on a drunken driving charge in 2019 when he was a Santa Fe County employee. The charge was later dismissed, however, according to online court records.

He has played a prominent role in recent years in leading the city's efforts, with Wastewater Management Division Director Michael Dozier, to get the wastewater treatment plant on Paseo Real back into compliance with state and federal discharge permits.

The aging facility has suffered from a series of maintenance failures since spring 2023 requiring millions of dollars in repair work. The city is scheduled to have a hearing before the Water Quality Control Commission in April.

Earlier this month, Dupuis spoke at two City Council committee meetings about potential long-term options for the wastewater plant's future.