Jeffery Chao, father of teen who went missing, charged with stealing child

LOS ANGELES - Jeffery Chao, the father of a 15-year-old girl who went missing nearly two weeks ago in Monterey Park, has been charged with felony child stealing/concealment. 

The LA County DA's Office also filed a misdemeanor count of false report of an emergency.

"Falsely reporting a child as missing not only violates the law but also diverts critical law enforcement resources away from other serious matters," District Attorney Gascón said. "This type of behavior will not be tolerated, and we will hold the responsible individual accountable for his actions."

Chao entered a not guilty plea and was ordered to surrender any firearms. A lawyer said he owns several semi-automatic weapons; however, Chao does not have a criminal record.  

If convicted as charged, he faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison. His bail has been set at $500,000 and a judge placed a GPS tracking system on him. 

Chao,40, was arrested July 26, just three days after Alison Chao was found safe in Glendale. 

Alison was reported missing July 16 after she left on her bike from her Monterey Park home to go visit a relative in San Gabriel… but she never made it there.  

According to the DA's Office, Chao allegedly stole/concealed his daughter on the evening of July 16 and falsely reported her as missing to law enforcement. 

Her disappearance prompted a massive community-wide search. Hundreds of missing person fliers were posted and handed out across the San Gabriel Valley in hopes of finding Alison. The girl was reportedly spotted in El Sereno at some point during the search, before she was located safely Tuesday morning outside a local TV station in Glendale.

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Chao was arrested three days after he and other family members held a press conference expressing their relief that Alison had been found. 

When FOX 11's Matthew Seedorff asked Chao at that press conference if he had heard from his daughter in the days she was missing, he repeatedly said "no."

Alison is currently in DCFS protective custody and is staying with a family friend. 

Alison's parents say they are in the middle of a divorce and a child custody battle, and the mother was recently awarded full custody of Alison.