Taos man arrested for allegedly beating, kidnapping a woman

Prosecutors have filed a motion to keep a Taos man behind bars after he allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman last week.

Jorge Montoya, 55, is charged with criminal sexual penetration, kidnapping with the intent to inflict sexual offense, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment. He was booked into the Taos County Adult Detention Center.

The Taos County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 22 responded around 5:15 p.m. after receiving reports of a domestic violence incident in Ranchos de Taos, according to a criminal complaint filed in Taos Magistrate Court.

Deputies arrived and found a “severely beaten female who was naked with her hands and feet tied up and a belt wrapped around her neck,” according to a news release from the Taos County Sheriff’s Office.

Taos deputies arrested Montoya at the scene and gave medical aid to the woman before taking her to a hospital, the complaint states.

Deputies spoke with the 911 caller, who said Montoya was one of the owners and landlords of the property where the woman was found, according to the complaint. The caller said Montoya had been renting the property to the woman for roughly six months.

On Nov. 23, the caller was at the home around 2 p.m. when he heard “banging and commotion” inside the house, the complaint states. Later, he and a friend went to check on the house when they heard a woman scream “let me out” in Spanish.

Shortly after, Montoya came out and said everything was fine. The caller then alerted Taos authorities, according to the complaint.

Deputies interviewed the woman, who said she had known Montoya for a few years and that the two were friends, the complaint states. She told deputies she and Montoya were planning to drive to Miami for a fresh start when he began drinking.

The woman told deputies she began to pack the car when she was struck in the back of the head with something heavy, the complaint states.

Montoya allegedly grabbed the woman by the wrists and slammed her body into the ground, according to the complaint. At some point, the woman went unconscious, she told deputies, and she woke up to Montoya raping her.

Deputies spoke with Montoya, who said the woman had gotten angry after he said he was not ready to move to Miami, the complaint states. Montoya told deputies he strangled the woman because she was yelling and that he had stripped her of her clothing because “if she was naked, then she wouldn’t leave.”

Montoya told deputies he duct-taped the woman’s ankles and mouth to “keep her calm,” according to the complaint.