It was a few minutes before 11 p.m. on a warm June night when a driver called 911 from U.S. Route 70, the long stretch of highway that connects Las Cruces to Alamogordo and White Sands National Park.

The new civil action claims that the former WNMU president misappropriated at least $177,000 meant for ADA compliance and used it on a patio to host his daughter’s wedding reception ...