Detention officer fired, charged with battery

A 19-year-old detention officer was fired from the Curry County jail and is charged with battery after police said he started a fight with an inmate.

Nikelas Zamora was arrested and released on an appearance bond Friday, according to a press release from the Curry County Sheriff’s Office.

An investigation was launched after interim jail Administrator Carlos Ortiz reported the incident to the sheriff’s office.

The investigation uncovered surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts that Zamora, “instigated a physical altercation between himself and an inmate,” the release said.

No injuries were reported.