Kayla Montgomery arrested after missed court appearance
Sep. 9—Kayla Montgomery was arrested Friday after missing a court date in Manchester Thursday.
Montgomery, stepmother of presumed murder victim Harmony Montgomery, had been expected to appear in court Thursday to verify that she has been complying with terms of her release from jail in June.
Those terms included that she not use drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol and that she participate in substance use disorder treatment. Prosecutors had alleged in filings that Montgomery may not be in compliance with conditions of her release after Manchester police said she had been in cars with others where drugs were found. Montgomery's attorney said she was trying to get admitted to a treatment center.
Montgomery, 32, faces charges of perjury, welfare fraud and receiving stolen weapons. She was living with Adam Montgomery and their two children in late 2019, when Harmony was last seen alive at the age of 5.
Police have spent months trying to find Harmony, but last month officials announced the missing-child case had become a homicide investigation. Recently, prosecutors filed papers saying Kayla Montgomery may testify against her estranged husband Adam Montgomery in his upcoming trial on weapons charges — not related to Harmony's disappearance.
On Thursday, Kayla Montgomery was supposed to appear in Judge Amy Messer's courtroom at 10 a.m. About 10:35 a.m., her attorney, Paul Garrity, said he had received a text from her saying she was on her way, but she had not arrived by 10:45 a.m. Thursday.
