GALT, Calif. — THE CRIME: Jan. 6, 2006
Clinton Poole was found unresponsive on January 6, 2006, by Galt Police officers. The 19-year-old was found stabbed in a neighborhood east of Highway 99.
During the homicide investigation, the department learned that Javier Montanez, Jr. was leaving a house party in the 700 block of Moose Creek Way that night, according to a 2018 FBI release. A witness told investigators that while leaving, Montanez got into a physical argument with Poole, who lived nearby.
On Jan. 9, 2006, a felony arrest warrant for a murder charge was issued for Montanez. Although the 18-year-old was an American citizen living in Galt, police believe he had connections in Mexico and fled there. A federal arrest warrant was issued in August 2006 for "unlawful flight to avoid prosecution." Montanez Jr. has been a fugitive in Mexico since 2006.
THE SEARCH
Since the 2006 homicide of 19-year-old Poole, the Galt Police Department and FBI have worked together to find Montanez Jr. and return him to Sacramento to face charges.
In June 2018, the cold case warmed up, prompting local FBI investigators to increase the reward for his arrest to $10,000. One month later, a lead developed and pointed to his location.
By September, the FBI had him in custody and reached out to Galt PD to say he was being detained in a Mexican jail, pending extradition warrants from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and the US Attorney’s Office.
THE ARREST: May 14, 2019
On May 14, 2019 FBI Special Agents flew to Mexico, where Montanez Jr had been living under an alias. The next day they arrived at the San Francisco International Airport with Javier Montanez Jr. in tow — more than 13 years after the death of Clinton Poole.
"We knew who the suspect was so it was a matter of developing the leads and information necessary to determine his exact whereabouts in Mexico and so that wasn't going to happen without somebody's help and assistance," said Lt. Brian Kalinowski of the Galt Police Department. "So, we were fortunate to get that and the FBI stayed on the case and was consistent in their efforts and was successful in locating him and getting him arrested."
The FBI turned the 32-year-old over to the Galt Police Detectives, who booked him into the Sacramento County Jail for his outstanding homicide arrest warrant.
"We're proud that we were able to close this case and allow it to see its day in court," Lt. Kalinowski said. "It's important for the community and those people were involved and obviously most important for the family that lost their loved one."