Stepdad charged with killing 3-year-old, but dad is no prince either: he's charged with burglary and battery (Peralta, New Mexico)

In this case, stepdad MICHAEL PEREA was charged with child abuse resulting in death; the @$$hole slammed the 3-year-old boy's head into the floor. And how does "real" daddy ROBERT MONTIEL express his grief? He breaks into the house through a broken window and takes some items that had belonged to his son. And when mom and the grandmother confronted him outside, he struck the grandmother with his car! Yea, that's really showing your respects to a dead child.

http://www.news-bulletin.com/nb/index.php/news/835-Father-of-dead-toddler-arrested-on-charges-of-burglary-and-battery.html

Father of dead toddler arrested on charges of burglary and battery
Written by John Bear/News-Bulletin
Wednesday, 21 October 2009 07:00

The father of a boy who was killed in Peralta in September has been arrested last week after police say he broke into the house where his son died, and later struck the boy's grandmother with his car.

Bosque Farms Police Chief Joe Stidham said Robert Montiel, 28, was arrested and charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and larceny.

Stidham said Montiel allegedly broke into the house because he wanted to see where his son had died. Michael Montiel, 3, was found dead inside the home in September.

The boy's stepfather, Michael Perea, 21, has been charged with child abuse resulting in death and tampering with evidence. Police say he admitted to slamming the child's head into the floor.

Perea pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday in district court. District Court Judge William Sanchez ordered Perea be held on a $250,000 cash or surety bond.

A probable cause affidavit filed in Los Lunas Magistrate court states the Montiel told police that no one lived at the residence when he broke in. He said that he had permission from the landlord to be inside the residence. The landlord would later deny this claim, according to the affidavit.

Montiel told police he entered the house to pay respect to his son, and entered through a broken window.

There had been a separate burglary report taken at the residence by the Valencia County Sheriff's Office, the affidavit states.

The Bosque Farms police chief said that Robert Montiel was taking some items that belonged to his son when he was confronted by Michael Montiel's mother and grandmother, Joan Otero, outside the residence.

The affidavit states that Montiel took a picture or drawing of President Barack Obama and some other items. Stidham said an argument ensued, and Montiel left in his car.

"(Otero) stated that she didn't want Robert to leave the residence because she believed he broke into the residence and stole items," the affidavit says. "So she stood directly in front of Robert's vehicle, and placed both her hands on the vehicle's hood."

The court document goes on to say that Robert Montiel then placed his vehicle into drive and drove forward. As he was driving forward, the vehicle struck Otero's left side, causing her to fall to the ground.

Otero was taken to the hospital in Albuquerque, where she was questioned by state police. She told police the car struck her on the left side and she fell down. Otero suffered a bruise to her leg.

Robert Montiel was released Monday from the Valencia County Adult Detention Center. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Office of the Medical Investigator spokeswoman Amy Boule said an autopsy lists Micheal Montiel's cause of death as blunt head trauma.

The manner of death has been determined to be homicide.