TUCUMCARI, N.M. (KRQE) – A Tucumcari woman, Mary Montoya, is charged with involuntary manslaughter after multiple of her family’s dogs attacked and killed a man. She is expected to go to trial this week.
Police said in February of last year, they received a call about someone getting attacked by dogs near the intersection of Gamble Ave. and 11th St. on the west side of Tucumcari.
Officers said those dogs belonged to Montoya and her son, Kristopher Morris. In an interview last year, Morris talked about how the family’s dogs would frequently escape their property.
“The night of the attack my mom was here, and she would always say when they got out they’ll be back, just let them go they’ll come back,” Morris said.
According to court documents, first responders found the victim, Stanley Hartt, with numerous bite marks and a large portion of his legs appeared to be eaten by animals. Shortly after finding Hartt, officers said they found a pack of dogs – one with blood on their face.
Documents state that officers euthanized one of the dogs to “prevent further harm to the public.” When law enforcement tried to euthanize a second dog, the dog ran down an alley to Montoya’s home. Officers said they recognized several other dogs at the home, which were part of the pack found earlier.
According to documents, Montoya and Morris admitted their dogs had a history of getting out of the yard. Upon interviewing the two, law enforcement found the dog who was euthanized had a history of aggressive behavior and bit two other people on separate occasions.
