Andrew Steven Vaughan, the 4th Judicial District chief deputy district attorney, has been placed on administrative leave without pay after a criminal charge was filed against him on Monday. 

According to court records, Vaughan faces one count of felony criminal mischief of $2,000-$5,000 for an offense that allegedly occurred on Christmas Day. 

Court records show a summons and complaint was filed against Vaughan on Monday. 

Kate Singh, a spokeswoman for the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, confirmed Tuesday that Vaughan was placed on administrative leave without pay, and that he will remain on administrative leave pending the resolution of the case. 

“The criminal investigation and review for filing of charges has been assigned to the Pueblo District Attorney’s Office as a special prosecutor,” Singh wrote in a statement to The Gazette. “Mr. Vaughan will remain on unpaid leave pending resolution of that review and potential prosecution. Next steps will be determined based on that outcome.”

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Vaughan has been registered as an attorney in Colorado since 2009, according to the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel.

Vaughan has prosecuted several cases of note in El Paso County, including the appeal case of Deborah Nicholls, who was convicted of killing her three children in a house fire in 2003, and the double-homicide case against Nicholas Jordan, who is accused of killing two people in a University of Colorado Colorado Springs dorm room last year. 

Vaughan is no longer listed as the attorney on either case, according to court records. 

Court records show that Vaughan’s first court appearance is an advisement hearing scheduled for March 27.