The father of a 15-year-old Monterey Park girl who was reported missing for about a week was charged Tuesday in connection with the disappearance that led to a law enforcement search.
Jeffery Chao was arrested July 26, three days after his daughter was found safe in Glendale after a request for public assistance in locating her a community organized searches. He was charged Tuesday with felony child stealing/concealment and a misdemeanor count of filing a false police report.
“Falsely reporting a child as missing not only violates the law but also diverts critical law enforcement resources away from other serious matters,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated, and we will hold the responsible individual accountable for his actions.”
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Arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday. If convicted as charged, Chao faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Details about what happened to the girl during the week she was reported missing remain a mystery.
The girl disappeared after last being seen around 6:20 p.m. July 16 in the 4400 block of Collis Avenue in the El Sereno area of Los Angeles, police said. The girl had left her father's house in Monterey Park that afternoon and was heading toward an aunt's home in San Gabriel, riding a blue mountain bike and carrying a black backpack, but she never arrived, according to police and relatives. She was spotted riding her bike on various neighborhood surveillance cameras.
"On the evening of July 16, Chao allegedly stole/concealed his 15-year-old daughter and falsely reported her as missing to law enforcement," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
She was found when a resident recognized her in the Glendale area and called authorities.
After the girl was located, Chao spoke during a news conference, when he thanked friends and the community for helping to find his daughter.
"We've been really worried about where she's been," the father said. "We really appreciate what everyone's done and helped out with."
According to the family law attorney for the father, Hannah Bui, the girl's mother has sole legal custody of her for mental health. Annie Chao was granted physical custody on a temporary basis, according to Bui.
The teen's parents are in the middle of divorce proceedings and a custody dispute. Jeffrey Chao's attorney said the girl lived with her father, but her mother was recently granted temporary custody right before the teenager's disappearance.
Emily Robinson, a court-appointed attorney for the girl, issued a statement last week blasting social media speculation surrounding the case and the custody battle.
"This is a very complex situation that should not be in the public forum," Robinson said. "It is being rendered even more damaging to (the girl) by misleading and inaccurate social media posts from third parties that have virtually no understanding of the facts. Upon being made aware of these posts, I have reported them to the social media companies on which they are hosted in the hopes that the companies will quickly act and take them down due to the inaccuracies contained therein. The posts are rife with misrepresentations and false statements and hindered the investigation into (the girl's) whereabouts and efforts by her family and the police to ensure her safe return."
