Hollister
– A former Hollister resident facing three felony counts for
allegedly abusing a 9-year-old girl more than a decade ago accepted
a plea bargain Wednesday that could keep him behind bars for the
next 12 years.
Hollister – A former Hollister resident facing three felony counts for allegedly abusing a 9-year-old girl more than a decade ago accepted a plea bargain Wednesday that could keep him behind bars for the next 12 years.
Monty Milligan, 60, had attempted to get the case dismissed in June on the grounds that his right to a speedy trial had been denied, but took a plea deal Wednesday during a brief hearing before San Benito County Superior Court Judge Steven Sanders.
Court-appointed attorney Roseanne McLean, who is representing Milligan, had filed a dismissal motion last month alleging that the four-year delay between the time Milligan had been charged and the time he was arrested may have affected the victim’s memory. Milligan had been charged in 2002 with child abuse by former San Benito County District Attorney Harry Damkar. He was arrested in February by Arizona police and then extradited to San Benito County to face the abuse charges.
Deputy District Attorney Candice Hooper Mancino agreed to dismiss one of the felony abuse charges on the condition that Milligan plea “no contest” to the two remaining felony charges. A “no contest” plea has the same effect as a guilty plea in criminal proceedings.
The charges stem from 1995 incident in which Milligan allegedly engaged in sexual acts with a then 9-year-old girl. The victim reported the crime to a school teacher in 2001, six years after the crime. School officials contacted Child Protective Services and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. Santa Cruz officials forwarded the case to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office because the incident had taken place in a trailer home on Westfalls Ranch in Hollister. The victim told police that Milligan had taken photographs of her partially undressed and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the abuse, according to police reports.
Milligan is being held at the San Benito County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail while awaiting sentencing in the case. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 16. At that hearing, a judge will decide how many years Milligan will spend in prison and if he will have to register as a sex offender, Hooper Mancino said.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or br******@fr***********.com.
