DONA ANA COUNTY, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — A 26-year-old former Dona Ana County Deputy was arrested Dec. 17 after he allegedly raped a Juarez woman he met through a dating app.
Joshua Benjamin Montelongo was arrested after a woman came forward with allegations that Montelongo had raped her on Dec. 16 after he started acting aggressively during their date.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim told investigators that she had met Montelongo through the Facebook Dating App and had started an intimate relationship with him on Dec. 1.
The victim then said that on the day of the assault, she crossed the bridge from Juarez and went to Montelongo’s home in Dona Ana County.
She explained that their original plan had been to go hiking; however, those plans were derailed after she said she overslept.
The victim told investigators she then met with Montelongo.
She describes that Montelongo started acting aggressively towards her while they were driving– first going to a restaurant in El Paso, then later while going shopping.
The victim alleged Montelongo pushed her head down, punched her in the stomach, pinched her chest and her crotch, all while driving.
The victim then said she texted a friend, telling her that Montelongo was being aggressive.
According to the criminal complaint, later in that day, while at Montelongo’s home, Montelongo allegedly pinned her down, ripped her clothes off and raped her, after she said she denied his sexual advances.
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The victim told investigators that she was scared of Montelongo because of how he had been acting, but told him several times she did not want to have sex.
She said she didn’t scream, as she feared Montelongo would hurt her if she did.
The victim then said she left the next morning while Montelongo was asleep, adding that she left the key to his place at a table and then blocked Joshua on Facebook.
The investigator who interviewed the victim described seeing bruising on the victim’s chest.
Montelongo was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center and charged with two counts of criminal sexual penetration and one count of false imprisonment.
Montelongo was a deputy with the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office until April 2025.
According to jail records, Montelongo was first jailed without bond; however, court records show that on Dec. 22, he was granted a release under a $15,000 bond and conditions that he did not leave Dona ana County and not contact the victim.
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