Child sex predator sentenced

Kenneth Montano gets life in prison.

Reno, Nevada. July 10, 2015. Kenneth Montano (DOB 1/31/48) will be spending the next 65 years to life in prison for sexual crimes he committed against children as young as 7 years old.  Judge Jerome Polaha handed down the sentence on July 9, 2015 in the Second Judicial District Court in Reno.  Montano is 67 years old. 

This was not his first offense.  Montano has also been convicted of sexual assault involving a child in another case in Colorado.  He was sentenced to prison there in 1990.

The case in Washoe County opened in November of 2014.  Montano reportedly became suicidal and admitted to family members that he had inappropriately touched a child.  He later pled guilty to multiple offenses related to the ensuing investigation, including sexual assault on a child. 

At sentencing, Judge Polaha followed the District Attorney’s recommendation and imposed consecutive life terms on each count.  The Defendant will not be eligible for parole until he has spent 65 years in prison.  This is the maximum sentence allowed by law.

A multi-disciplinary team coordinated through the Washoe County Child Advocacy Center investigated the case. The team included authorities from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children Unit, the Northern Nevada Cyber Center, the Washoe County Child Abuse Response and Evaluation (CARES) team, Washoe County Social Services, and the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office.

The Washoe County Child Advocacy Center opened June 13, 2014. Its mission is to ensure the health and safety of a child through a neutral, child-centered environment. The new center is designed to minimize trauma and provide advocacy for the child and non-offending caregivers and to support effective investigations.