Wife of man accused of manslaughter in I-70 crash claims his license is valid

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The wife of a man accused of manslaughter in the deaths of two women in a crash last week on Interstate 70 in claims she has proof her husband's license is not suspended.

Walter Montejo, 26 of South Gate, California, is charged with two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, one count of second-degree assault and misdemeanor driving while revoked. Montejo is accused of killing Cindy Helms, 54, of Rockwood, Tennessee, and Melvina Colin, 84, of Broomfield, Colorado.

A hearing was set for Monday, but had was pushed back to Thursday, as Montejo seeks legal help. Montejo had previously told a judge that he thought his license was still valid. Montejo is an immigrant from El Salvador and does not speak English, requiring interpreters at his court hearings.

Court documents say Montejo was driving a tractor-trailer, when it crossed over the median and hit a U-Haul head-on, killing Helms and Colin. However, Montejo's wife -- who asked not to have her first or last name included out of possible safety concerns -- said California driving records show Montejo's license is valid.

The record, which was sent to ABC 17 News shows Montejo's license doesn't expire until 2025. It also shows he has a commercial driver's license (CDL) that expires in 2028.

Montejo's wife claims his license was lost in the crash and police were unable to find Montejo in the system. She said she attempted to show police a picture of his license as proof, but it wasn't enough for policy to verify it was valid.

A probable cause statement says that Montjeo's license was suspended because of an active administrative alcohol suspension. A bond motion claims Montejo's license was suspended because of a DWI case from Jackson County in 2022.

Montejo's wife claims he took alcohol screenings, classes and worked with a attorney on the case.

However, she said neither the court or Montejo's attorney expressed to him that his license was suspended due to this.

"They never told him that his license was suspended. We never got any notice or anything about that," she said. "I know he has a CDL license and he's worked really hard to get it, so I was I was shocked about that part and obviously about the whole tragic, tragic situation that happened."

Montejo's wife said they are in the process of finding an attorney to help have the charges dropped.

His wife said she understands the tragic nature of the crash and feels for the families of those killed and inured in the crash. She said she hopes this won't negate the tragedy of the crash, but rather show people weren't killed due to Montejo being irresponsible.

"I think maybe we thought that maybe it would change people's perspective on on him not driving with the license or him being irresponsible on the road and that, that's why people died," she said.

Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said as of Monday, the prosecutors office had not received anything on behalf of Montejo. However, he said the office would review any documents received in the case.

ABC 17 News reached out to the Columbia Police Department and DMV public affairs in California.

Montejo has two infractions listed on Casenet. He pleaded guilty on March 3, 2022, to two counts of operating a motor vehicle with defective brakes. He was fined $250. The infractions allegedly occurred on March 14, 2021.  

One of the citations claims that Montejo failed to stay within one lane while driving, while another alleges he was speeding by 11-15 miles per hour.

US Department of Transportation information showed the truck was registered at a Saline County address and was registered to FDH Trucking, LLC.

According to the probable cause statement, Montejo's vehicle was heading westbound in the passing lane and Montejo failed to maintain a lane and initially hit a BMW, which went off the right side of the road.

Montejo’s vehicle then made a quick movement, went through the concrete barrier and hit a 2017 Toyota Highlander and a 2022 Ram 1500, the statement says. The Ram became airborne and overturned when it landed, the statement says. The tractor-trailer then hit a 2021 Ford Explorer because colliding with the U-Haul, the statement says.

A witness allegedly told police that they were driving behind the tractor-trailer and BMW and that the freightliner was in the passing lane, the statement says. Montejo allegedly turned on his right turn signal and hit the BMW while trying to get in the driving lane before overcorrecting, court documents say.