COVINGTON, Ky. — A Covington man is accused of assaulting and sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl who had been previously reported missing.
According to his arrest report, officers responded to Matthew Wade's home on Highway Avenue Monday evening after hearing that a missing teen was reported to be there. When they arrived, they made contact with Wade, who called the teen a "friend."
Officers saw the missing teen, as well as drug paraphernalia, from the threshold. They then detained Wade and executed a search warrant for the home, seizing multiple guns, over 40 psilocybin mushrooms and two active psilocybin grows.
WATCH: What we know about the allegations against Matthew Wade
When they spoke to the teen, officers determined she had been subjected to alcohol, marijuana and psilocybin, and she told officers Wade had slapped her in the face, causing swelling and bruising. The teen also told police that she was strangled and on one occasion Wade had non-consensually kissed her.
"Sick. It's scary. Makes you want to hold your kids even closer," said Danielle Crowell, who lives nearby. "What do you do in that kind of situation when it's so close to home? How do you feel comfortable when it's right there?"
Crowell told WCPO she was home Monday when she saw multiple Covington police cruisers line the street. She said she now worries for her young children and her niece who lives up the street.
"My kids are friendly with everyone. They're friendly kids ... (Wade is) outside mowing his grass, and my kids are like, 'Hey, how are you?' And you know, my oldest son was like, 'I thought he was cool, Mom,' and I'm like, 'Not everyone is ... they might seem nice, but sometimes you have to watch out," Crowell said. "It just goes to show you, just because someone's nice doesn't mean that they're not a scary person or a dangerous person."
Wade told police that he knew the teen was missing and had previously cut off her ankle monitor, according to court documents. Police wrote that the teen told officers she had been at Wade's home for four days.
He is charged with third-degree sexual abuse, unlawful transaction with a minor, second-degree assault, first-degree strangulation, custodial interference, second-degree trafficking of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana.
Wade is being held on a $100,000 cash bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 20.
