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FARMINGTON — A father who triggered an Amber Alert pleaded guilty Tuesday to taking his two daughters, whom he no longer has custody of, and fleeing to New Mexico.
Christopher John Montoya, 35, pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to two reduced counts of custodial interference, a third-degree felony. In exchange, a burglary charge was dropped. He and the girls' mother, Monica Jody Martinez, 27, were originally charged with two counts each of child kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and burglary, a second-degree felony.
Martinez pleaded guilty to the same reduced charges June 28.
According to police, Montoya and Martinez took their two daughters, 3-year-old Marae Montoya and 11-month-old Cynthia Montoya, from the Clinton home where they were being cared for on the afternoon of May 5.
The incident triggered an Amber Alert, which was seen by an alert Motel 6 clerk in Gallup, New Mexico, who recognized the couple when they requested a room about 4 a.m. the next day. The attendant checked Montoya into a room, verified that his vehicle matched the one in the Amber Alert, and notified police.
Officers arrested the couple without incident and recovered the children. Montoya and Martinez were extradited to Utah last month.
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A couple accused of kidnapping the two daughters they do not have custody of and fleeing to New Mexico has been extradited back to Utah to face charges.The couple no longer has custody of the girls and has a no-contact court order in place due to a history of domestic violence with the children present, according to a warrant for their arrest.
The couple went to a Division of Child and Family Services office in Clearfield on May 5 before allegedly taking the children. Montoya was "very combative, threatening and agitated" and appeared to be under the influence of controlled substances, the warrant states.
Sentencing for Montoya is set for Aug. 23. Martinez is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 16.
