Update Tuesday 11 a.m. — According to records provided by the Wilmington Police Department, Lt. Matt Malone is not currently on paid or unpaid suspension.
WILMINGTON — Internal Affairs is investigating a Wilmington Police Department officer after an incident earlier this month during which an 8-year-old child was allegedly left naked in a vehicle outside of a restaurant while the officer and his spouse were inside.
According to phone records provided by New Hanover County, the incident took place at the Ogden Tap Room on Saturday, October 19, around 5:45 p.m. A concerned caller called 911 after hearing a young child asking for help. The child, who was naked and wrapped in a blanket, told the caller she needed to use the bathroom but had been instructed by her father not get out of the car.
The caller said the car was locked, with the windows raised (it was around 67 degrees and slightly rainy at the time). The vehicle was the officer’s personal car, not a police cruiser.
The child was “petrified of her dad” according to the caller. The location of the parents could not be determined by the caller.
“Amazing, the stuff you have to call the police for nowadays,” the caller can be heard saying.
Although the caller refers to the child as a “he,” according to dispatch records, the child is the 8-year-old daughter of Matthew Malone, a Wilmington Police Department officer.
Below: Listen to the 911 call from the scene
Two New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office (NHCSO) deputies were dispatched to the scene. According to spokesperson Lt. Jerry Brewer, deputies responded to several 911 calls received about the child, including one that the child had to go to the bathroom in the parking lot.
Deputies were able to locate the child’s father and mother, who were inside. According to interviews conducted on the scene, the daughter’s clothes had gotten wet or dirty after arriving at the restaurant earlier in the evening, so the parents had removed the clothing and wrapped her in a blanket, and placed her in the car. The parents had then re-entered the restaurant.
According to Brewer, deputies determined that the incident did not involve the violation of any laws. Brewer said that the District Attorney’s office had also been consulted. The incident has been cleared and no charges were brought against Malone or his wife.
According to dispatch records, Pender County Department of Social Services was notified of the incident.
Wilmington Police Department spokeswoman Linda Thompson said the department could not comment because there was an ongoing investigation by the Internal Affairs Unit of the Professional Standards Division.
Port City Daily has requested Malone’s employment history to determine whether he has been placed on leave, either paid or unpaid. This story will be updated with that and any other additional information as it becomes available.
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