SALINAS >> Jeremy Michael Betancourt, 33, of Salinas, was sentenced to nearly seven years in state prison for crimes against children and domestic abuse.

Last month, Betancourt was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for felony child abuse causing injury, felony domestic violence, witness intimidation and possession of obscene matter involving a minor engaged in lewd contact.

On Nov. 11, 2023, Salinas police officers responded to a call from Jane Doe, who reported that during an argument with Betancourt, her ex-boyfriend, he had pushed her up against the wall while she was holding her 2-year-old son.

The child had swelling on his head from hitting it on the wall.

After Jane Doe placed the boy down, Betancourt began to smother her to prevent her from screaming.

The defendant then took Jane Doe’s phone as she tried to call for help and fled the scene.

At around the same time of the incident, detectives with the Salinas Police Department were filing charges and issuing a warrant for Betancourt’s arrest related to a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The tip, from an online service provider, identified Betancourt as having accessed obscene material involving images which depicted minors engaged in lewd acts.

Before Betancourt could be taken into custody, Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputies were summoned to Jane Doe’s residence.

At the time, she reported a previous series of incidents where Betancourt battered and strangled her.

Jane Doe had visible injuries from three separate incidents which occurred within days of the 911 call.

At the time of his offenses, Betancourt was on probation for prior allegations of domestic violence.

The witness intimidation charge counts as a “strike” under California’s Three Strikes Law.