Father of teen who went missing charged with child stealing

LOS ANGELES – The father of a 15-year-old girl who went missing for about a week in Monterey Park, California, 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 in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom to the two charges, which include an allegation that he induced others, including a minor, to participate in the commission of the alleged offense of child stealing/concealment.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Susan J. De Witt ordered Chao to remain jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail and to undergo electronic monitoring if bond is posted on his behalf. He is due back in court Aug. 15, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.

The judge signed a criminal protective order barring Chao from contacting the girl or her mother.

Deputy District Attorney Norma Serna told the judge that the charges stem from a series of events, including a court order requiring Chao’s daughter, Alison, to go to a mental health facility and a subsequent order for Chao to surrender his child the following day.

Allison Chao was reported missing for about a week. Photo from the Monterey Park Police Department

The girl was reported missing July 16 by Chao after she went on a bicycle ride, the prosecutor told the judge.

The prosecutor said the girl was missing for seven days while allegedly staying in a secret location, and that the father and daughter appear to have a “very strong bond.”

Defense attorney Jose F. Romero told the judge that his client is a former Marine who had served during the war in Iraq.

He asked the judge to release Chao on his own recognizance or a lesser amount than the $500,000 bail that was requested by the prosecution.

Chao’s attorney told reporters outside court that he expects his client to be released from jail, but said it would probably be after midnight “given the logistics involved.”

Chao was arrested July 26, three days after his daughter Alison was found safe in Glendale.

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.”

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. His supporters also held up placards outside the courthouse after his arraignment Tuesday that read, “Justice for Alison …Give Her A Choice” and “Respect Her Voice. Give Her A Choice.”

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.

His supporters 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 make 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,” 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.” (CNS)