Bail was set at $1 million Monday for a second suspect, who was extradited from Oregon to San Diego and arraigned for his alleged role in severely beating an Australian tourist in Ocean Beach.
Frank Montoya, 46, pleaded not guilty to torture and aggravated mayhem against Robert Schneider, 26, who was beaten with a skateboard and thrown into a smoldering fire ring at the foot of Abbott Street on Feb. 27.
The bail set by San Diego Superior Court Judge David Szumow-ski on Monday is the same amount the judge set the previous week for Montoya’s co-defendant, Damian Maple, 21. Maple, who was extradited from Idaho, was arraigned on the same charges.
Deputy District Attorney Allen Brown asked for the high bail, saying Montoya is a flight risk. Montoya was arrested by Eugene, Ore., police in Lane County on March 31. Maple was arrested the same day in a remote area of northern Idaho and was extradited soon after.
Brown said the torture charge is defined in the penal code as “infliction of great bodily injury for sadistic purpose.” If Montoya and Maple are convicted, they could face life terms in state prison.
Schneider was beaten unconscious with a skateboard and suffered a severe skull fracture, a shattered eye socket and 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns. He was hospitalized for several weeks at UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest. His parents stood by his side during his arduous recovery process, and the Schneider family has now returned to Adelaide, Australia.
Montoya appeared before Szumowski in jail clothing and was handcuffed. He was placed in a different jail than the one in which Maple is being held. Co-defendants are not usually held in the same jail.
A preliminary hearing was set for April 25 ” the same date as Maple’s next court appearance ” but Brown said the hearing date will likely be delayed.