Southern California:
Monday Pervy Monday: Ex-Teacher's Aide, Butt Slapping, TBN, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses
By Matt Coker Mon., Nov. 24 2014 at 6:02 AM 3 Comments Categories: Court, Crime-iny, Gimme That OC Religion, Long Beach, School Daze
Courtesy of Long Beach Police Department |
Daniel Montoya in 1991 (left photo) and today. |
A 55-year-old Phoenix man is accused of having molested several teenage boys while he was a member of the Mormon church, beginning in the 1970s, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Daniel Montoya was arrested by Long Beach detectives in Phoenix on Oct. 6, flown back to Los Angeles County and held in the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles in lieu of $1.25 million bail, according to police.
Montoya pleaded guilty in 1986 to molesting two teenage boys who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Long Beach. He cut a plea deal that got him probation and an order to register as a sex offender.
More victims have come forward since, saying they were too embarrassed to go public earlier. In September, the LA County District Attorney's Office filed three sexual assault-related counts against Montoya and an arrest warrant was issued.
It was discovered Montoya never registered as a sex offender, neither in California nor Arizona, according to police.
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A lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court claims two teenage boys were molested by a South County Jehovah's Witness church leader during their middle school and high school years in the 1990s.
The suit, which identifies the victims as "John Roe 1 and John Roe 2" and their alleged tormentor as "Doe 3" or "Perpetrator," alleges sexual abuse and negligence and seeks unspecified damages from the local and national church organizations.
Identified as a baptized "publisher," ministerial servant and "pioneer" within the church, Doe 3 was assigned to give private bible lessons to John Roe 1 and met John Roe 2 when the two were assigned to do "field service" for the church, according to the complaint.
Doe 3 brought the boys to his house separately, gave each mixed drinks, undressed in front of them, showered with them and touched them sexually, the complaint states. John Roe 1, who is now 29, claims to have been abused from the sixth through ninth grades, while John Roe 2, now 31, says he was abused from the eighth through 11th grades.
John Roe 2 says he told the Elders he wanted to call the police, but the Elders said they preferred to handle the matter "in house." Doe 3 was "disfellowshipped," but cops were never told, according to the complaint.
The men say what caused them to come forward was the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State University.
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