Rancho Cucamonga stabbing victim was L.A. Mission College dean

Rancho Cucamonga stabbing victim was L.A. Mission College dean

by Nathaniel Percy

A 49-year-old woman stabbed to death at a home in Rancho Cucamonga was an administrator at a San Fernando Valley community college, the school confirmed Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Darlene Montes was the Dean of Academic Affairs at L.A. Mission College in Sylmar, which released a statement announcing her death Tuesday.

“Our entire campus community was saddened to learn of the untimely death of our beloved Dean of Academic Affairs, Darlene Montes,” College President Monte Perez, PhD, said. “Darlene was a beautiful soul. She was well-loved on campus, and touched the lives of countless community college students, not to mention faculty, staff, and administrators. We are going to miss her terribly.”

Montes was found stabbed at her home in the 6300 block of Elkridge Place after deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department received a call from a man claiming the victim was his daughter and that he had stabbed her, authorities said. She died of her injuries at a hospital.

Joe Edward Montes, 71, was arrested by deputies and booked into jail with no bail on suspicion of murder, jail records show.

He was arrested “based on statements and physical evidence at the scene, “ the Sheriff’s Department said.

What led to the stabbing, which occurred in an upscale neighborhood of single- and two-story homes near Day Creek Boulevard, was not immediately known.

Darlene Montes, in 2016, was recognized for her contributions to the Paralegal and Administration of Justice programs on campus through her service on their advisory boards and her support of individual projects, according to a release by the school.

She became dean in 2014, school spokesman Alejandro Guzman said. She oversaw several programs on campus, including Adult Basic Education, Dual Enrollment, Chicano Studies, English, Communication Studies, English as a Second Language, Foreign Languages, the Library and the Learning Resource Center.

“She was a great administrator and had a reputation as a hard worker,” Dr. Perez said.

A GoFundMe page was set up by the school to help the family cover funeral costs, according to spokesman Alejandro Guzman.

All credit goes to Nathaniel Percy Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com