The father of The Hills star Heidi Montag has been arrested on charges of sexual assault on a child and incest. Bill Montag, 67, was taken into custody on January 29.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He’s Accused of Abusing the Victim for 5 Years
Bill Montag’s mugshot. (Aspen Police)
According to CBS Denver, Montag was arrested in Aspen. The charges stem from 1996. A warrant for his arrest was issued on January 26. CBS Denver reports that he was first arrested on charges of failure to appear. He was due in court on charges of sexual assault on a child in the Denver suburb of Centennial. NBC Denver reports that the abuse allegedly began in 1993, when the victim was 13, “and continued until she was 17 years old.” The station also notes that due to the statute of limitations in Colorado, Montag can only be charged with crimes that happened after July 1st, 1996. The documents say that Montag once tried to put a vibrator in his victim’s vagina. He’s accused of grooming his victim by giving her back rubs. When she turned 16, he’s accused of performing oral sex on her. Court documents allege that in 1998 the victim refused to have sex with Montag, and he allegedly told her, “I thought that’s what you wanted, I thought you loved me the way I love you.”
2. He’s Not Charged With Abusing Heidi Montag
Heidi Montag pictured in October 2014. (Getty)
Heidi Montag was born to Bill and Darlene Montag in Crested Butte, Colorado in September 1981. The couple later divorced, with Darlene remarrying to Tim Egelhoff. Montag has an older sister, Holly, and younger brother named Sky. Holly Montag, 31, is also a reality TV star, and in 2009 she replaced her sister and her brother-in-law, Spencer Pratt, on the show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. She also appeared in numerous episodes of the The Hills.
The age of the victim in the court documents does not match up with the ages of either Holly or Heidi. At Heidi’s wedding in April 2009, she was given away by Bill Montag.
3. His Iraq-Veteran Stepson Died in 2008
Bill Montag pictured with his wife April. (Facebook)
Bill Montag remarried a woman named Terri O’Hara. Her son, Eric, died in 2008 after falling from an icy roof. Rocky Mountain News reported at the time that Eric, an Iraq veteran, slipped off the roof of a hotel where he worked while he was shoveling snow. The accident happened at the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. His uncle, David Patston, told the paper, “Having made it through 15 months in Iraq, and then to have this happen … it’s really tough.” Eric was a member of the 82nd Airborne. Speaking to US Weekly, Heidi Montag said about her step-brother:
I just loved him more than anything. He couldn’t wait to meet [Spencer Pratt]. He was very much a brother to me. He called me his sister, not his stepsister. He was always like, ‘I love you! I have to meet Spencer and make sure he’s cool to you!’ Just like a brother would.
4. He Works as a Ski Instructor
Bill Montag pictured on his Facebook page.
According to his Facebook page, Bill Montag works at Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club. Previously he worked at Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. He’s a native of Middletown, Connecticut, and lives in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
One of his likes on Facebook is the group “I Love Being a Father.”
5. In 2010 He Was Sick, & Famously His Daughter Didn’t Check In
(Facebook)
In June 2010, Bill Montag was suffering from a nasty bacterial infection. Perez Hilton reported at the time that Heidi Montag hadn’t been checking in on her ailing dad. In July 2010, he told Radar Online that he was flying to Los Angeles to confront her: “I still haven’t heard anything from my daughter so I don’t know what is going on with her. I need to go out there and visit her and I will.”
