ALIJAH and ALANTE TURNER - 7 and 6 yo - Norristown (NW of Philadelphia) PA

The man who disappeared with two children after picking them up from an
East Norriton school Tuesday is being charged with endangering the
welfare of children and concealing their whereabouts, according to
Norristown police.

Steven Wake, 54, picked up 7-year-old Alijah Turner
and his 6-year-old brother, Alante, from Cole Manor Elementary
School around 3:30 p.m., then reportedly drove to Ardmore to visit a
high school friend. According to police, the man loaned the friend his
green Dodge Caravan to go buy crack cocaine.

“(Wake) went there to buy drugs,” alleged Norristown police Chief Russell Bono. “He gave
(the friend) the vehicle, and he never came back.”

Wake was reportedly at his mother’s house in Ardmore with the children, but he
wouldn’t answer repeated calls to his pre-paid cell phone from the children’s mother, Kena Morton.

Detective Lt. Kevin McKeon said at some point,
Wake used up the phone minutes attempting to contact his
old friend who reportedly had the minivan.

“He was receiving phone calls from everybody (about the children), and he wasn’t
answering,” McKeon said.

The mother, children and Wake are homeless,
having been evicted from a DeKalb Street residence last
winter, according to authorities.

Wake was supposed to have
picked up Morton from her job at Lowe’s and two other younger children
from a Norristown day care center Tuesday.

Morton reported her two children missing to Norristown police on Tuesday afternoon, though
she longer lives there. Police entered the missing minivan in the
National Crime Information Center.

“There’s nothing that ties this case on Norristown,” Bono said. “(Morton) was looking for help, and
we gave it to her.”

Morton’s boyfriend was located around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday by Lower Merion police, and he was brought back to
Norristown. Wake admitted to police he “used poor judgement,” according
to the criminal complaint.

Wake is also being charged with unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, interference with the custody of
a child.

“I have some serious concerns for the welfare of those kids,” Bono said.

Police believe the two missing children are staying with relatives in Drexel Hill.

The couple’s Dodge Caravan, which is presumed still missing, has Pennsylvania license plate
number HDL 4665, police reported.