Former Hamilton City woman recovering from beating

A former Hamilton City woman is recovering from head and other injuries inflicted upon her by a man who had been ordered to stay away from her, Tehama County Sheriff's Deparment reported.

The reported attack, Sheriff Clay Parker acknowledges, took place six days after his office mistakenly realeased Humberto Sandoval Moctezuma, 40, on a promise to appear in court.

Parker said Moctezuma should have never been released without making bail. It was against department policy to release him.

“Training has been conducted since we discovered this,” said Parker. “It was wrong, and I take full responsibility.”

Moctezuma had been served a restraining order out of Glenn County to stay away from Susan Cortez, Parker said, but had gone to her home on Valley Vista Drive twice in recent weeks.

Cortez had apparently moved to Corning about two months ago, sometime around when she had sought the restraining order while they were living in Hamilton City, Parker said.

On March 7, Tehama County deputies responded to a call from Cortez. However, they could not confirm Moctezuma had actually been served with the retraining order, and he had already left the residence.

In the early hours of March 8, deputies received another call, found Moctezuma hiding in a closet, arrested him and booked him into Tehama County Jail for violating the domestic violence order. Bail was set at $10,000.

However, five hours later, Moctezuma was instead released on a promise to appear in court.

Six days after that, according to the Sheriff’s Department, he returned to his girlfriend's home and beat her with a club as her three children watchhed. They called 911.

Cortez suffered a fractured skull, facial bones and arm, and had a ruptured spleen, the Sheriff’s Department reported on Tuesday.

Parker said according to information from doctors, Cortez is expected to be released from the hospital this week.

Moctezuma has been booked back into jail on suspicion of attempted murder and violating a domestic violence retraining order. The bail is set at $1.01 million.

While Parker, who has served on the Alternative to Violence board of directors for more than 12 years, is not shifting blame for his office’s error, he believes the problem is far greater.

To start with, Parker added, a $10,000 bail amount on a domestic violence charge is substantially low.

Moreover, there is no guarantee, short of putting victims of violence in a protected shelter, that the abuser will not simply violate the order again if he makes bail.

“A $10,00 bail on a domestic violence call is not a proper or high enough,” said Parker, who is facing a challenge from one of his detectives in the June 8 primary election.

According to Glenn County records, Moctezuma has a drunken driving conviction. The three-year restraining order was issued Jan. 8.