Columbus man charged with false informing (The Republic)

Columbus man charged with false informing
2/1/2010 1:45:00 PM
By Chris Schilling
Reporter

The man questioned in the shooting at Heritage Heights mobile home park is accused of being an illegal immigrant from Mexico and giving police a false Social Security number in a case unrelated to the shooting.

Juevencio Montez, 35, of Columbus, is charged with false informing, a Class B misdemeanor, which stemmed from a report Montez made Jan. 3, when he told Bartholomew County Sheriff's deputies his car was stolen.

Sheriff's deputies checked the Social Security number he gave when making the report and learned from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent that the number belonged to someone else, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Montez reported the car stolen from 3120 Family Drive in Heritage Heights mobile home park, where Alberto Esparza Avitia was shot multiple times Jan. 18.

Avitia, who is in stable but critical condition at an Indianapolis hospital, told authorities that Montez shot him.

Montez has not been charged in the Jan. 19 shooting at Heritage Heights, but investigators are checking into information he provided about the shooting.

During a search of the home after the shooting, sheriff's deputies said they found documentation indicating Montez is a citizen of Mexico and that they believe he is residing in the United States in violation of federal law.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement requested immediate contact from the sheriff's department in the event Montez was taken into custody.

Montez voluntarily met with investigators Friday after authorities acted on a tip from the public and stopped a car in which he was a passenger near U.S. 31 and Washington Streets.

He provided "his side of the story" of the shooting, which investigators are in the process of verifying, Bartholomew County Sheriff Mark Gorbett said.

Montez has been booked into Bartholomew County Jail on the false informing charge.

Authorities requested a high bond because they suspect he has an incentive to flee the area. Bartholomew Superior Court 2 Judge Kathleen Coriden set Montez's bond at $250,000.

The sheriff's department has contacted immigration officials about Montez's arrest.

Montez will stay in Bartholomew County Jail until his false informing charge is settled. After that, immigration authorities have 48 hours to take custody of him.