TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 31-year-old man is in custody as the search for his 7-year-old daughter continues in New Hampshire.
According to a press release, Adam Montgomery was arrested Tuesday on a charge of second-degree assault, as well as one misdemeanor charge of interference with custody, and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child.
Police said the charges stem from an incident involving his daughter, Harmony Montgomery, but are not connected to her disappearance.
According to a redacted affidavit released by police on Wednesday, Montgomery was in custody of his daughter after Harmony’s mother, Crystal Sorey, lost custody due to a substance abuse issue. Montgomery and Storey both experienced issues with substance abuse, the document stated.
Sorey, according to the affidavit, regained sobriety, but her attempts to find Adam and Harmony were unsuccessful despite contacting multiple schools and visiting Adam’s last known addresses. Storey told police she last saw her daughter in a Facetime video call to Adam around the Easter holiday in 2019.
The affidavit states family members of Montgomery told police that they believed Adam was abusive toward Harmony. Adam’s uncle, Kevin Montgomery, told detectives he had contacted authorities after seeing Harmony with a black eye and being told by Adam, “I bashed her around this house.” Kevin Montgomery believes Adam was experiencing a drug relapse during this time, the document added.
The allegations of abuse include Harmony being spanked, forced to stand in a corner for hours, and being ordered to scrub the toilet with a toothbrush.
Montgomery waived his initial appearance in court Wednesday afternoon.
Police said they learned of Harmony Montgomery’s disappearance last week, and discovered she hadn’t been accounted for since October 2019.
Sources told WMUR she was reunited with her father after spending time in foster care.
The child’s great-uncle, Kevin Montgomery, told News Nation he was worried about the child’s safety, and had warned family services the child was in danger. He said he called them once when the child had a black eye and again before she was last seen in 2019.
The Union Leader reported that over the weekend, police were searching a home connected to the case. Property records showed the residence was sold in 2020. Police said those living at the house now were not involved in the girl’s disappearance and have been cooperating with the investigation.
Police say Harmony is about 4 feet tall and 50 pounds. She has blond hair, blue eyes, and glasses. She is blind in her right eye, according to police.
A $33,000 reward is being offered for information in the case. Those with information can call a 24-hour hotline (603-203-6060), the Manchester Police Department at 603-668-8711, Detective Jack Dunleavy at 603-792-5561, or the anonymous Crimeline at 603-624-4040.
A typo had misspelled Sorey’s last name as Storey. This has been corrected.
