Cheyenne Man Violates Probation in Stalking Case, Gets 3-5 Years

A 26-year-old Cheyenne man has been sentenced to three to five years in prison after picking up a strangulation charge while on probation for stalking.

"I've taken steps to better my life," Gabriel E. Montoya told Judge Catherine Rogers during his sentencing this (Thursday) morning in Laramie County District Court. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret my actions."

Montoya was sentenced to five years of probation on Dec. 31, 2015, after stalking a woman who had a protection order against him.

Court records say Montoya harassed the woman by calling her at least two times and sending her 52 text messages between March 19-23, 2015.

On Aug. 23, 2017 -- while on probation -- Montoya met a different woman at the Maverik on the S. Greeley Highway, got into her vehicle and proceeded to choke her and pull her hair.

He was charged with strangulation of a household member and domestic battery and plead guilty to the strangulation charge on March 15 as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

"What I'm seeing is a man that appeared before me at sentencing ... and nothing has changed, except you've picked up a new victim," said Rogers.

"I gave you a chance to grow up, figure it out, stay out of trouble and stop traumatizing women and what did you do, you squandered it," Rogers added. "You're somebody that needs to got to prison to be reminded."

In addition to the three to five year prison sentence in the stalking case, Rogers also sentenced Montoya to three years of probation in the strangulation case, which will begin when he's released from prison.​