The Rev. Ray Montgomery (YouTube).
A 59-year-old California pastor and former civil rights nonprofit leader has been found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend after she discovered him at home with another woman.
The Rev. Ray Montgomery was convicted of misdemeanor assault in connection with the choking of his 44-year-old girlfriend, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said. The incident took place in San Jose on June 6, 2024.
According to the Mercury News, the woman went to Montgomery’s home and knocked on the door. When Montgomery answered, he was wearing only his underwear, and another woman was inside the residence.
The encounter allegedly escalated from a dispute into violence. Montgomery lifted the woman, dragged her through a hallway, and put her neck between his forearm and bicep, squeezing until she briefly lost consciousness. After coming to, she fled from Montgomery, shut herself inside a bathroom, and called a friend, who later picked her up.
The victim sustained bruising to her neck and sought treatment at a hospital, where she reported the attack to law enforcement. She also alleged that Montgomery later tried to pressure her into withdrawing the complaint and claimed he had been abusive toward her on previous occasions.
Before criminal charges were filed, Montgomery sued the woman, alleging that she was the aggressor and that he had been attempting to “defuse the situation,” the Mercury News reported. In that filing, the pastor said she had arrived at his home “uninvited” while he was “entertaining a female friend.”
The lawsuit was reportedly put on hold while the criminal case progressed.
Montgomery was the executive of the People Acting in Community Together civil rights organization that aids immigrants and low-income families. He stepped down from the post after the allegations.
“We believe domestic violence victims,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Lawsuits and lying will never stop us from seeking justice for those who are hurt by their partners.”
Montgomery is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 8.
