OGDEN — Aaron Marcos Montoya took the stand in his own defense Tuesday afternoon to say he didn't molest three 5-year-old girls while he taught an LDS Primary class in 2004.
Montoya has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony. And the trial, which was originally scheduled to take place in Davis County, is being held in 2nd District Court in Weber County after a judge granted a change of venue.
Montoya and his wife, Angie, who also testified Tuesday, had both been asked to teach a class of 5-year-olds in late 2003.
On Dec. 12, 2004, Aaron Montoya taught the Primary class alone because his wife was at home with a baby. It was one of the first Sundays in a Syracuse ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a now-6-year-old girl.
The girl told a jury Tuesday that she was drawing a picture of Jesus when Montoya sneaked up behind her and put his hand under her skirt.
She said it made her feel sad.
The girl also testified she had been asked to pray at the end of a Primary class, where Montoya was the only adult present, and while she prayed he put his hand up her skirt.
She said she didn't say anything to Montoya but immediately after church, she told her 9-year-old brother what had happened.
He didn't believe her.
But the brother testified Tuesday he was feeling bad about not believing her, but at the time, he didn't think something like that would happen at church.
The girl's mother said she didn't find out about the alleged abuse until a couple of weeks later, when a parent of another child in the Primary class came to the girl's house and said the two children had discussed on the school bus not liking Montoya as a Primary teacher.
One asked the other, "Does he touch you, too?" The parents called Syracuse police.
One of the girls had been reluctant to go to church, saying it was too long and too boring, her mother said Tuesday.
Forensic nurse Karen Stilling said another girl told her parents she didn't like her teacher, and her father, who has an administrative position in the ward, asked her to give Montoya a chance because he hadn't had much experience as a Primary teacher.
At the time, the girl denied that Montoya had been mean or had touched her.
Angie Montoya said she taught most of the Primary lessons that year because Aaron Montoya was working full time as a bailiff at the Matheson Courthouse and was completing a sociology degree at Weber State University. Aaron Montoya's first time teaching a lesson alone was in July after he graduated from Weber State.
The police investigation immediately involved the Davis County Children's Justice Center.
Syracuse detective Heath Rogers, who investigated the case, said Montoya told him the only contact he had with any of the children was when he placed his flat opened hand against their backs when they prayed in front of class.
"It seemed like a way to reassure them that it's OK to be praying," Montoya told the jury.
He denied doing anything inappropriate to the girls.
He said there are three other instances he touched them.
Once, during a Sunday lesson, one of the girls had her feet up on a chair, a position that made her underwear visible. Montoya said he asked her a couple of times to put her feet on the floor and eventually grabbed her ankle and brought her foot to the floor.
Another time, one girl's dress had a decorative bow that became untied. The girl played with the two ends during class, and Montoya retied it for her.
A third girl and Montoya's son — who was also in the Primary class — were on a soccer team together, and before the game started, they asked him to lift them to the crossbar of the goal so they could hang on it. That's what he did, he said.
Tuesday, the jury heard all the evidence in the case against Montoya. Both the prosecution and the defense rested.
Closing arguments are scheduled for today, as well as the jury's instructions and deliberations.
If convicted, Montoya could face up to life in prison.
E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com