Lawyers seek body camera video from police interview, arrest

Lawyers seek body camera video from police interview, arrest

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Lawyers seek body camera video from police interview, arrest

The defense team for the father of Harmony Montgomery is now pushing for state prosecutors to produce police body camera evidence in new court filings obtained by News 9 Investigates.

Adam Montgomery was charged in January with felony assault connected to a black eye that his daughter Harmony had in 2019 before she disappeared. He had legal and physical custody of her at that time. Investigators have been searching for Harmony for months and her father has been in jail ever since.

Police records and court documents obtained by News 9 Investigates show that family members raised concerns about Harmony to police in December 2021, when a search for the child was underway but not yet public.

Police interviewed Adam Montgomery's uncle in December of last year. According to court paperwork, Kevin Montgomery told police about Harmony's black eye and other alleged abuse, including forcing the child to scrub a toilet with her toothbrush.

The latest court filings press the state to provide body camera video from the interview that a Manchester police detective had with Adam Montgomery, who was found sleeping in his car on New Year's Eve with his new girlfriend. That interview resulted in Adam Montgomery's arrest on child endangerment, assault and custody interference charges.

The latest court filing indicates the deadline for the state to provide the video to the defense was in February.

Manchester police confirmed to WMUR that all sworn officers have been wearing body cameras since December 2019.

Former county attorney Patty LaFrance explained to WMUR what Adam Montgomery’s defense team could be looking for in the body camera footage from Dec. 31, 2021, the date of the police interview, and Jan. 2, 2022, the date Adam Montgomery was arrested.

“It is inculpatory evidence, then the defense may seek to keep it from coming in and say to the judge, ‘We were looking for this evidence. They did not turn it over. They do not get to use it because it's too late,’” LaFrance said.

The hearing is set for June 28 at superior court. It is a dispositional conference with 10 minutes allotted.

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