Man Whose Girlfriend Died After Fall from SUV Faces Charges

A man who allegedly kept driving after his 21-year-old girlfriend fell or jumped from his SUV while holding a 13-month-old child in Santa Ana, killing the woman and injuring the toddler, was charged today with hit-and-run and child abuse.

Francisco Javier Montano, 21, of Irvine, surrendered to authorities last Friday, the day after 21-year-old Gloria Sanchez and the child tumbled from a Toyota RAV4 as Montano was driving eastbound in the 1600 block of West Edinger Avenue.

The pair either jumped or fell from the vehicle around 8 p.m. on Halloween night, according to police and prosecutors. Montana drove off, leaving the pair in the street, Deputy District Attorney Anna McIntire alleged.

She said investigators suspect the toddler is the daughter of the defendant and Sanchez, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. The toddler, whose name has not been released, suffered minor injuries.

Montano is charged with two felony counts -- hit-and-run with permanent injury or death, and child abuse and endangerment -- and a misdemeanor count of driving without a license, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Montano, who remains jailed in lieu of $200,000 bail pending arraignment Nov. 22, faces up to seven years in prison and six months in jail if convicted, according to prosecutors.

-- City News Service