Salinas man sentenced to prison for two domestic violence incidents against teen

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A Salinas man has been sentenced to four years in prison for a domestic violence incident earlier this year and another year for a 2019 incident that he was on probation for.

Both incidents were against the same victim, who was only 15 years old when she met 33-year-old Javier Uriel Mena.

In March 2019, police were called to an apartment after a report that Mena punched the victim in the back and face multiple times, spat in her face and pulled her hair during an argument that resulted from the victim taking an alcoholic drink from him.

The victim, who was 17 at the time, told police that she lived with Mena and that they had been in a sexual relationship for two years and had a 7-month-old son together.

Mena was arrested and convicted of unlawful intercourse with a minor and domestic violence. He was placed on felony probation, ordered to have no contact with the victim for three years, to complete domestic violence classes and spend one year in the Monterey County Jail.

In May of this year, the victim said she found Mena inside her apartment and that he slapped and strangled her when they argued. A neighbor heard her screams and called police.

Mena was arrested for domestic violence while on probation for a prior domestic violence conviction and a violation of the criminal protective order. While waiting for court proceedings, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said he tried to call the victim's blocked number more than 200 times.

A Monterey County judge ordered Mena to have no contact with the victim for 10 years in addition to serving a total of five years in prison.