LOGAN, Utah — City Police Officer Michael Montoya was arrested on Aug. 18 and faces charges of assault, assault with substantial bodily injury, and unlawful detention.

The arrest has led to Montoya’s suspension without pay pending the outcome of the case.

According to the case’s affidavit of probable cause, the victim reported several instances of abuse and was interviewed Aug. 18. She gave multiple examples of Montoya being violent toward her over the past year.

In one such case about two months ago, what began as an argument between Montoya and the victim turned physical when the officer allegedly charged towards the woman.

The affidavit states Montoya advanced “using his chest and bodyweight to hit her.” The woman fell, injuring her head against a wall and bruising her arm.

Montoya and the victim later discussed the incident and consequential head injury over text. Though the victim said she had a headache, she was afraid to seek medical attention. Montoya reportedly asked what she would claim as the cause of the injury because medical examiners would have to report the incident if told what happened.

The affidavit says the victim ended up not seeking medical help due to fear of what could happen, though symptoms she said she experienced in the days after the head injury have since been reviewed and determined to be consistent with a concussion. It also says Montoya sent a text message saying, “I didn’t intentionally knock you down. I wanted to walk away.”

Another incident the affidavit detailed reportedly happened when Montoya and the victim were in the kitchen. After she did not obey Montoya’s requests to drop a subject, the victim said she was pinned up against the wall by his body for several minutes “to force her to hear what he had to say.”

Two other incidents were described by the couple’s child during an interview at the Children’s Justice Center.

The child said Montoya on one occasion pushed the victim against a wall.

A second event the child talked about took place in a bathroom, where the victim was crying. Montoya told her “if she didn’t open the door he would kick it down.”

The affidavit says it is not known how the door was eventually opened, but the child said Montoya pushed the victim.

The child did not remember when the fighting turned to physical exchanges but said it started after the family moved to Cache Valley, which the affidavit specifies was in early 2021.

Logan City Police Chief Gary Jensen told The Herald Journal Montoya had been placed on unpaid leave the day of his arrest. He added that the department will let the legal process take place before they “draw any opinions and or make any hard decisions.”