Police Believe Man Sexually Molested Boys at Long Beach Mormon Church

The Long Beach Police Department announced today they have arrested a 55-year-old man they believe sexually molested several teenage boys while a member the Mormon church, beginning in the 1970s.

Daniel Montoya had 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 did not register as a sex offender, under a sentencing agreement where he received three years probation and was ordered to attend psychotherapy treatment, according to a news statement from the Long Beach Police Department.

Sometime after the conviction, Montoya moved to Phoenix without registering as a sex offender, police said.

Long Beach police detectives flew to Phoenix on Oct. 6 and arrested Montoya without incident and and eventually placed into the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, where he was being held on $1.25 million bail, police said.

In April, an investigation was launched based on information from Mormon officials calling Montoya responsible for sexually molesting several teenage age boys beginning in the 1970s, police said.

The latest victims didn’t initially report the incidents because they were embarrassed by what had occurred, according to police.

“It was not until years later, when the suspect called one of the victims and inquired about the victim’s 8-year-old child, that the victim felt compelled to disclose the terrible incidents that occurred,” the news statement said.

Detectives located and interviewed four additional victims, determining Montoya befriended the teenage victims and then began sexually molesting them, police said.

In September, the District Attorney’s Office filed three sexual assault- related counts against Montoya and an arrest warrant was issued.

Montoya was scheduled for a Nov. 12 court appearance.

--City News Service

PHOTO Patch file photo.

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