Amid rising tensions between Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart and County Manager Fernando Macias, the sheriff is now facing an employment discrimination complaint by one of her sergeants who claims he was wrongfully denied a promotion and a code of conduct complaint related to the same incident.

DASO Sgt. Eric Flores was told he was the third top-scoring candidate in a process to select three new DASO lieutenants last summer, but he didn't get the job.

Who gets promoted, and by whom, within the ranks of county law enforcement has left in limbo officers like Flores and highlights a growing rift between county leaders.

On this week's podcast, we dive deep into the department's operations — and its independence, which has also proven to be problematic for sheriff's departments around the state. You'll hear from Stewart and Macias, as well as Sun-News reporter Algernon D'Ammassa, who covers statewide issues, and reporter Justin Garcia, who covers policing, courts and public safety for the Sun-News.

Stewart recently announced she'd seek a second term in office, but now faces three challengers — a Democrat in the primary elections, and two Republican hopefuls. We also talk about the candidates and what they bring to the table.

This podcast was originally published by the Las Cruces Sun-News.