Denver DA motions to revoke ex-APS Dep. Superintendent’s bond; was notified he’d illegally left state by news reports

A Denver district attorney on Monday signed a motion to revoke bond for Timothy “Jason” Martinez, the Albuquerque Public Schools Deputy Superintendent who resigned last Thursday, in relation to his 2013 sexual assault on children charges.

A judge has yet to sign the motion, which was filed at 3 p.m. Monday. The Denver District Attorney’s Office said it is looking for a judge to sign the motion, after which a warrant would be issued for Martinez’s arrest.

Martinez faces four counts of sexual assault on a child from a 2013 arrest. He allegedly sexually assaulted two separate young boys. He had previously been charged with six counts, but two have since been dismissed as they were duplicate charges, according to the DA.

One of the victims will be 13 years old at Martinez’s trial, which is set for Oct. 9, and one will be 8 years old.

Martinez also posted $50,000 bonds and signed two separate pretrial services release agreements in which he agreed not to leave the state of Colorado without first obtaining written consent from pretrial services and the court.

The first was signed July 18, 2013 after his arrest on the child sex charges. The second was signed Feb. 20, when he bonded out on a Jan. 25 arrest on two assault charges.

The district attorney’s office said though Martinez knew of the pretrial services process, he never attempted to obtain consent to leave the state.

The office said that it first learned he left the state Friday when KOB and other news outlets reported his prior arrests and pending trial.

In the Jan. 25 arrest, Martinez allegedly assaulted his boyfriend with his hands and hit a second person with his car door. A status hearing is set for Oct. 9 in that case, the same day as his trial is set to begin on the child sex charges.

The Denver district attorney wrote in the motion that the state has “grave concerns” about Martinez’s inability to comply with court orders, and noted that his more recent arrest constitutes a bond violation on the child sex charges.

“To leave the state for several months and to begin a new job that requires daily interaction with children and families is a complete and utter defiance of the letter and spirit of the conditions of bond that [Martinez] agreed to on July 18, 2013 and Feburary 20, 2015,” the motion reads.

The DA’s office said it will request an increase in bond and an added provision that Martinez have no contact with children under age 18 should the motion be upheld and an arrest warrant issued.

VALENTINO’S CHIEF OF STAFF HELPED PICK MARTINEZ, CONFIRMED HIS EMPLOYMENT TO COLORADO

The motion filed Monday confirms that Toni Cordova, the Chief of Staff for APS, confirmed that Martinez was working at APS and living in Albuquerque to Colorado authorities.

Cordova was hand-picked by Superintendent Luis Valentino to be his chief of staff. APS spokesperson Monica Armenta told KOB Monday Cordova was also part of the team that picked Valentino to be the district’s new superintendent before she was appointed to the position.

Valentino also hand-picked Martinez to be his deputy superintendent. Martinez resigned Thursday a day before the charges came to light.

But APS Human Resources Manager Karen Rudys says she red-flagged Martinez for not offering his fingerprints for a background check. In an open letter obtained by KOB, Rudys insists she contacted APS superintendent Valentino on five different occasions between June and August, alerting him directly to problems with Martinez and his application to the job.

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education will meet Thursday morning to possibly determine Superintendent Luis Valentino’s future with the district.

Following a “very frank discussion” with the superintendent Sunday, board president Dr. Don Duran said the board has scheduled a special meeting at 7 a.m. Thursday for “further discussion and action.”

The board met Sunday to evaluate whether or not to remove Valentino from office amid reports that Valentino ignored warnings about his deputy superintendent from the district’s own human resources department.

On Monday, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced his office had launched an investigation into the district’s hiring of Martinez.

The Office of the State Auditor said it would investigate as well.  The Albuquerque Teachers Federation issued a statement Monday, saying in part, “We need a leader in APS who will do what teachers do every day in their classrooms: provide strength and stability to help students achieve their educational aspirations.”

At his first news conference on May 6 Valentino talked tough when asked if he expected a golden parachute if and when APS gives him the boot, such as the $350,000 buyout Winston Brooks got.

“I do not want to leave and say, well, if you’re kicking me out, pay me out the door,” Valentino said. “I hope you hold me accountable to what I’m telling you today and remind me that I said that this is not about the money.”

“When I leave I will leave not asking for anything from anyone, because I believe that my work will demonstrate that I’ll deserve whatever I’ve gotten to that point, and that when my utility is done, my utility is done – and if I fail to hold to that, remind me,” he continued.

Originally published at KOB.com

Posted on: August 24, 2015Blair Miller

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