Harmony Montgomery's Father Pleads Not Guilty To 8 New Gun Charges

MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS/AP) — The father of Harmony Montgomery, a New Hampshire girl who disappeared in 2019 at age 5, waived his arraignment Wednesday on eight new, unrelated firearms theft charges from that year, and his attorney entered not guilty pleas on his behalf.

Adam Montgomery, 32, is accused of stealing a rifle and a shotgun between Sept. 29 and Oct. 3 of 2019, receiving stolen property for retaining the weapons, being a felon in possessing the weapons and being "an armed career criminal" after having been convicted of at least three felonies.

Montgomery, of Manchester, has a criminal record that goes back at least to 2007. He's been in jail since January in connection with a second-degree assault charge involving his daughter, Harmony Montgomery, accused of striking her in the face in July 2019. He's pleaded not guilty to that charge and to misdemeanor charges of interference with custody and endangering the welfare of a child.

A message was sent to his lawyer seeking comment on the new charges.

"There is no evidence of any connection between the stolen firearms and the disappearance of Harmony Montgomery," Attorney General John Formella said in a news release on Monday.

Harmony has been missing since late 2019. Her stepmother, Kayla Montgomery, is scheduled for a court appearance Thursday on a charge accusing her of saying Harmony was a member of her household from that November to June 2, 2021, and that she received food stamp benefits for Harmony.

(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)