LOS ANGELES—The father of a 15-year-old girl who went missing for about a week in Monterey Park, prompting several community-led search efforts, was charged Tuesday with felony child stealing/concealment and a misdemeanor count of filing a false police report.
Jeffery Chao, 40, pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment Tuesday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles. His bail was set at $500,000, and he was scheduled to return to court on Aug. 15.
Mr. Chao was arrested July 26, three days after his daughter Alison Jillian Chao was found safe in Glendale. Alison had been reported missing July 16.
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 last spotted around 6:20 p.m. July 16 in the 4400 block of Collis Avenue in the El Sereno area of Los Angeles, authorities said.
Her disappearance led to an outpouring of support from the community, including several search efforts by residents who combed the area looking for the girl, to no avail.
Alison was found the morning of July 23 when a resident recognized her in the Glendale area and called authorities. Glendale police recovered the girl near the offices of ABC7. According to the station, an ABC7 security guard said the girl was on foot and was being followed by the person in a car who recognized her.
Jeffery Chao held a news conference later that day with his attorney and other relatives, thanking the public for their help finding his daughter.
“We have been really worried about where she’s been, and you know, really appreciate what everybody’s done and helped out with,” he said. “... It’s just been very tiring, I’ve been very concerned. I just want what’s in the best interest of Alison at this point,” he said.
No details were ever released about why the girl disappeared or where she had been for a week. But Jeffery Chao was arrested by Monterey Park police three days later.
In a statement announcing the criminal charges Tuesday, District Attorney George Gascón said, “Falsely reporting a child as missing not only violates the law but also diverts critical law enforcement resources away from other serious matters. This type of behavior will not be tolerated, and we will hold the responsible individual accountable for his actions.”
Mr. Chao faces up to five years in prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Some supporters of Jeffery Chao held a protest outside Monterey Park police headquarters last week, decrying his arrest and insisting that the teen girl’s wishes be honored.
Jeffery Chao and his wife Annie are in the midst of a divorce and custody battle. A judge recently awarded Annie Chao physical custody of Alison.
Supporters of Jeffery Chao have been vocal at rallies and on social media, insisting that the girl does not want to live with her mother, and even alleging the girl was abused by her mother and grandfather—allegations vehemently denied by Annie Chao.
Annie Chao issued a statement following Jeffery Chao’s arrest saying she has her daughter’s best interests at heart, and contended that her estranged husband coached the teen into making false abuse allegations.
“The false accusations of abuse that materialized later caused me and my father to be arrested,” Annie Chao said. “We were arrested based on Jeff and Alison’s verbal accusations. Charges were never filed.
“In juvenile dependency court, a 15-day trial was held where numerous witnesses testified. After the trial, the court determined that none of the accusations were credible. The court denied Jeff’s request for a domestic violence restraining order. The court also dismissed the juvenile dependency petition and returned the custody and visitation issues to the family court.
“I believe that Jeff coached Alison to make false accusations against me and he continues to thwart and undermine my relationship with Alison,” she said.
Emily Robinson, a court-appointed attorney for Alison, also 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,” Ms. Robinson said Tuesday. “It is being rendered even more damaging to Alison 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 Alison’s whereabouts and efforts by her family and the police to ensure her safe return.”
