Man pleads not guilty in beating

A 53-year-old Santa Fe man accused of severely beating another man with a golf club last month behind the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts store on Cerrillos Road and then fleeing pleaded not guilty to criminal charges Monday.

Peter Voltig was arraigned on counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, plus two counts of bribing or threatening a witness.

Conviction on those charges carries a potential sentence of just over 10 years in prison, but Assistant District Attorney Peter Valencia said Monday that Voltig has such an extensive prior criminal history that if habitual offender enhancements are applied, he could be exposed to almost 40 years in prison.

A police statement said Voltig has a criminal history in Pennsylvania, Texas and New Mexico, including charges of robbery, burglary, embezzlement, controlled substance violations and DUI, and has served prison terms in New Mexico and Texas.

A judge decided at an earlier hearing that no conditions of release could protect the community from Voltig, so he will be held without bond until his case is decided.

Detective Jimmie Montoya said a tipster and the Albuquerque Police Department helped locate Voltig and officers arrested him Aug. 3, about a month after the incident.

Montoya said the relationship between Voltig and his alleged victim is “still under investigation.”