Father arrested for alleged child abuse of 7-month-old twins in El Paso County

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) has arrested a 19-year-old father after he allegedly caused multiple fractures to the legs and ribs of his 7-month-old twins.

EPSO says Samuel Maldonaldo Montano was arrested on May 28 and charged with two counts of child abuse and two counts of first-degree assault. Montano has since been released on a $25,000 bond, according to law enforcement.

According to EPSO, they responded to the hospital on April 24 after medical staff determined both children had multiple fractures to their legs and ribs, stating that the injuries were non-accidental in nature.

Law enforcement says the reported abuse occurred in the 11000 block of Garrett Road. A search warrant was executed at the family's home, says EPSO.

According to the arrest affidavit, law enforcement recovered security footage from the inside of the home. That footage allegedly shows Montano violently shaking one of the twins, before squeezing the child with the "full weight of his body" and twisting their leg.

Court records claim Montano then put the infant on the floor, who appeared to be lifeless before beginning to cry. Montano then allegedly returned to the infant and "swiped her back with his right hand, and then aggressively grabbed her by her white shirt and swung her in a forward motion, which resulted in the infant being spun in a circular motion above Samuel's head and over his right shoulder."

The affidavit confirms that law enforcement investigators conducted an interview with Montano, who allegedly told officers that the twins had fallen, causing their injuries. Investigators reported Montano "displayed little emotion, and did not appear affected by the incident," according to the affidavit.

A woman whose relationship to the children is not identified in the affidavit is said to have brought the children to the hospital. Records claim she told investigators that she believed Montano was responsible for the injuries, stating that he had anger issues and sometimes yelled at the infants when he was frustrated.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story unintentionally showed a house that is uninvolved in the investigation and has no connection to the incident. We deeply regret our error and have removed the shot.

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