Las Cruces police have arrested the former manager of the Rio Grande Theatre on allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl and gave alcohol to a 19-year-old woman. Christopher Lininger, 33, was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center without bond following his arrest Thursday.
According to KVIA, police arrested Lininger on allegations of serving alcohol to a 19-year-old woman and sexually assaulting a teenage girl. He faces one second-degree felony count of criminal sexual penetration of a minor and one fourth-degree felony count of giving or selling alcoholic beverages to an underage person, both attributed to the Las Cruces Police Department.
Lininger had worked for the City of Las Cruces as a contract employee since August 2017 and was promoted to venue manager of the Rio Grande Theatre in February 2023, the station's report notes. Police said he hadn't been in the office since October 8, and his employment with the city formally ended Thursday, the same day of his arrest.
Investigators Say No Other Victims Known So Far
Investigators told the station they are not aware of any other victims at this time. The Las Cruces Police Department is asking anyone with additional information to call (575) 526-0795 and ask to speak with a detective.
The Rio Grande Theatre, where Lininger worked, is owned by the City of Las Cruces and managed and operated by Visit Las Cruces, according to the venue's website. Built in 1926 and renovated before reopening in 2005, the 393-seat performing arts center is the only operating two-story adobe theater in the country and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city purchased the building in 2002, according to a 2017 report from the Las Cruces Sun-News.
A Long History at the Downtown Venue
Lininger had deep roots at the theater well before his city tenure began. A profile from Las Cruces Community Radio traced his 14-year tenure there to his 2011 hiring by the Doña Ana Arts Council, and described him as running day-to-day operations at the venue as it marked its centennial earlier this year. The Rio Grande Theatre has hosted plays, musicals, classic film screenings, local premieres, and the Las Cruces International Film Festival awards show over the years, per that same report.
The Doña Ana Arts Council previously managed the theater under a five-year agreement awarded in June 2014, subject to annual renewal by the city council, the Sun-News reported in 2017. It is not clear from available records how that earlier arts council role connects to Lininger's later employment directly with the city. Theater management eventually shifted to Visit Las Cruces, which continues to operate the venue today.
No court hearing date, defense attorney, or response from Lininger to the allegations has been publicly reported. Police have not said when or where the alleged incidents occurred. Anyone with information relevant to the case is urged to contact Las Cruces police and ask for a detective.
