CORRECTION TO STORY:

ALAMOSA — Mari Felix, Alamosa’s County Clerk who was arrested on Dec. 21 related to allegations of sexual assault on a child, appeared in court on Jan. 4 where she was charged with one count of accessory to crime of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. The charge is a class five felony.

At the time of her arrest, Felix, 32, was accused of being complicit in the same alleged crimes for which her husband, Martin Felix-Lopez, 35, was arrested, including sexual assault on a child in a position of trust, a class three felony; unlawful sexual contact, a class four felony; child abuse, a class five felony; and sexual assault on a child, a class three felony.

Mari Felix posted a $60,000 cash surety or $6,000 bond and was released on Dec. 23.

Those charges against Mari Felix have since been reduced to an accessory in committing the single class five felony.

According to Colorado Revised Statutes 18-1-1603, “a person is legally accountable as principle for the behavior of another constituting a criminal offense if, with the intent to promote or facilitate the commission of the offense, he or she aids, abets, advises or encourages in planning or committing the offense.” In other words, if a person is found to be complicit or an accessory in committing a crime, the penalty is the same as the person who committed the crime.

Mari Felix has been serving as Alamosa’s County Clerk since she was sworn into office in January of 2023, following her election to office in November 2022.

County Clerks are responsible for administering elections, at all levels, in the county where they were elected. With primaries coming up in June of 2024 followed by what promises to be a contentious general election in November, Alamosa County officials were asked to comment on the situation.

Roni Wisdom, County Administrator for Alamosa County, wrote, "The Board of County Commissioners has no individual supervision of the Clerk and Recorder. This is an elected position and as such, the elected official is directly accountable to the voters. If a county office becomes vacant according to the criteria set forth in C.R.S. 30-10-105, then the Board of County Commissioners has a statutory obligation to fill that office until such time as an election is held. The Board of County Commissioners will continue to monitor this matter and will take appropriate action as necessary. The county has every confidence in the employees of the office of the Clerk and Recorder and does not anticipate any disruptions to the services provided through that office."