Matthew MacDonald, 31, of Bridgeport.
A Bridgeport man has been sentenced to probation for his role in helping two teens runaway from their homes in Montgomery Township.
Matthew MacDonald, 31, entered a guilty plea in July to misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of children and making false statements under penalty. Court records show that Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Cheryl Austin sentenced MacDonald to three years’ probation, along with prohibiting him from having any contact with the teens.
The charges stem from the March 2019 disappearance of two teenagers from Montgomery Township.
According to the criminal complaint, Montgomery Township Police responded to the Montgomery Mall on March 10, 2019, for a report of two missing teens. While searching the area for the teens, police discovered their cellphones in a trash can at a business outside of the Montgomery Mall property.
The report states that during the course of their initial investigation, police discovered a Cricket Wireless phone box at the home of one of the teens. Police then tracked the phone to the 1000 block of Dekalb Pike in Bridgeport, and then traveled to the home to ask the residents if the missing teens had been seen in the area. Upon arrival, police spoke with Macdonald, along with his father, and the report states that both Macdonald and his father denied seeing the teens when asked to look at their photos.
Police then left the residence, but quickly realized that they were no longer able to track the phone, according to the report. Further investigation showed that the phone was registered to the address where Matthew Macdonald was residing, the report states.
Police returned to the Bridgeport residence and spoke with Macdonald’s father, who allegedly apologized for lying to police and said that his son had left with the missing teens. Police then called Macdonald back to the residence, though he arrived alone, the report states.
The teens were recovered the following morning.
While being questioned by police, Macdonald allegedly admitted to assisting in planning the disappearance of the two teens and said he had purchased and registered the phones so the teens could not be tracked by law enforcement. Macdonald also told police that he had arranged for a ride share for the teens from the Montgomery Mall to his home in Bridgeport, according to the complaint.
Felony charges of concealment of the whereabouts of a child and interference with the custody of children were filed against Macdonald on July 8, 2019, and an arrest warrant was issued. Macdonald was subsequently arrested during an unrelated incident in Norristown Borough on Sept. 3, 2019, in which he was charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance and a summary charge of carrying a knife.
Court records show the charges were reduced to endangering the welfare of a child and making false statements under penalty as part of the plea agreement. The interference with the custody of children charge was dismissed during MacDonald’s preliminary hearing.
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