DENVER — A Denver sheriff’s deputy has been fired more than three months after she was indicted on federal drug charges along with a former jail inmate with whom she had a romantic relationship.
Sylvia Montoya was fired Aug. 23 due to the strength of the evidence in the court case, her inappropriate relationship with her co-defendant, Timothy Spikes, and for lying to law enforcement multiple times during the drug investigation, according to a Denver Department of Public Safety disciplinary letter obtained by The Denver Post through a records request.
The letter outlining the reasons for Montoya’s dismissal also offers the most detailed look into the drug investigation that led to her arrest. Montoya was arrested May 30 but the affidavits detailing the evidence in her case have not been made public.
“Your conduct has compromised the mission of the Department,” Alfredo Hernández, an administrator with the Denver Department of Public Safety, wrote in the letter. “Termination of your employment is necessary to protect the integrity and professionalism of the Department and to protect the City and County of Denver from potential liability that could arise from your continued employment.”
Montoya was placed on paid investigatory leave on March 29 after investigators learned of her relationship with Spikes, a known felon. She was then placed on unpaid leave after her May 30 arrest on suspicion of federal drug possession charges.