A military wife no longer has access to guns or custody of her children. The San Diego sheriff’s office says within just 15 minutes, she put her children, school officials and deputies in danger.
Just before 12 p.m. on Tuesday, neighbors at Eucalyptus Ridge in Lakeside – a townhome military housing complex – said they heard 36-year-old Monique Martin shouting and throwing trash outside her home.
"Next thing we know we see the truck leaving and then a little girl sitting on the curb by herself,” said Cory Shields, who lives in the townhome right across the street. He, along with another neighbor, immediately called 911.
"Emotionally it's hard,” said Shields. “Being a father of two, just to see somebody doing that to their own kid."
Authorities took custody of the girl. Meanwhile, seven minutes later, dispatchers get a 911 call from Lakeside Middle School.
"It's a scary thing,” said Lakeside Union School District Superintendent Andrew Johnsen.
Johnsen says Martin demanded to pull her son from class. School officials refused because she didn’t have an ID – something that didn’t sit well with her.
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Deputies say that's when Martin wrapped her arm around the vice principal's neck and shoved him several times before storming off.
“At no time were any students in any danger,” said Johnsen. “And I’m really proud of the staff for how they handled the situation."
Without her son and 13 minutes later, deputies spotted Martin driving 90 mph in a Santee parking lot, near Town Center Parkway. Deputies tried to pull her over, but said she wasn’t going down without a fight.
“As soon as she got out of the car she ran at the deputies,” said Det. Sgt. Tim Chandler. “Basically, the fight was on at that point."
Two deputies suffered minor injuries while arresting Martin, but it’s what they found in her trunk - two guns - that has folks on edge.
"She could have easily walked in there with one or two of the pistols and we could have been having a very different story,” says Chandler.
Martin has since bailed out of jail.
A judge issued a gun violence restraining order – meaning Martin cannot legally purchase a gun in the state of California.
Neighbors also watched her husband give deputies an assault rifle they kept inside the home. He now has custody of both children, and deputies say he is being very cooperative.
Martin faces a felony charge of resisting an executive officer, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail. She also faces a misdemeanor charge of battery on school property – punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
She will return to court for a readiness hearing on Dec. 3 and again on Dec. 8 for a preliminary hearing.
