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5-Year Old Found Wandering Street Alone
October 5, 2010
A five-year old boy found wandering a Century street was safely reunited with his mother Sunday thanks to the help of a local pastor and two Escambia County deputies.
Janet Lee, pastor of the Century United Methodist Church, told deputies she was driving on Mayo Street Sunday afternoon when she was flagged down by the young boy who had tears flowing down his face. The boy told Lee that he was lost and that he did not know the whereabouts of his mother.
He pointed out his residence in the 7000 block of Mayo Street. Lee did not see anyone around the home, so she called the Sheriff’s Office.
At the Sheriff’s Office Century Precinct, Deputy David Bashore questioned the young man who knew his first name but not his last. He was able to tell Bashore his mother’s name. The deputy looked up the mother in the Sheriff’s Office computer system and was able to show the child a photo that he said was his mother.
Deputy Bashore and Deputy David Preston drove to the residence on Mayo Street where they found the front door standing open but no one home. The child was transported back to the precinct. The young child told Deputy Bahore that he was picked up Sunday morning by someone that took him to a local church for services. The boy was dropped off at his residence on Mayo Street following services.
The Department of Children and Families was called. Before the DCF worker could arrive in Century, the deputies were able to locate a cell phone number for the child’s grandmother who in turned contacted the child’s mother. The mother, age 26, picked up the young boy at the Century Precinct a short time later.
Deputies said the mother believed another relative was at her home when the child was dropped off by the church volunteer.
No charges have been filed in connection with the incident.
Comments
27 Responses to “5-Year Old Found Wandering Street Alone”
wow….terrible…..but you never know what happened….
Kids, geez.
I woke up one morning at 5:00 and thought I heard a noise.
I went in of course and checked on my kids first of all.
One was gone….the 5 year old girl. MY 5 YEAR OLD GIRL.
Tears is most of what I remember.
I realized that the front door was unlocked and just a little adjar.
Figuring I heard it open and that woke me up, I ran outside in my jammies
in sub zero weather in iowa and looked all over the neighborhood.
Then ran back home paniced to call the police….
the phone was ringing.
The police found her 22 blocks from my home.
She said she was going to her grandmas as mom didn’t have breakfast ready.
lol
I wanted to beat her senseless, but was too busy crying and kissing her.
THEN THE STERN TALK LATER!
where I still was crying and she promised never to leave the house again
without telling me.
ARRGH!
In this case however, what was the person who dropped off the child thinking.
Who drops off a 5 year old child and doesn’t see a face to hand them over to.
In my case i had the door locked and took every precaution and didn’t even
know she knew how to get to her grandmothers by foot or get the front door
unlocked.
WITH KIDS IT’S OUR JOB TO KNOW ALL AND BE ALL…
I LEARNED IT VERY VERY EARLY!!!!
none of my children ever got away with anything ever again….
geesh!
David Bashore is one of the kindness persons I know. He is great with children. We are lucky to have David and David on the northend.
Good Job Dave, that little boy could’nt have had anyone better to help him. Nice job.
While some details are missing here…the best thing about this article is that the child is safe.
The story states that the front door of the residence was open but no one was home…has anyone thought that the person who dropped the child off DID see him go into the home?
This child needs to learn something about how to be safe. My 5 year old niece (who just turned 5, so not in kindergarten yet) knows my phone number and can call me by herself. Maybe something for the mom to think about…I’m sure the child could learn her cell number or maybe grandma’s.
I’m sure he was very frightened, sounds like this had never happened before and he hadn’t ever been alone. If this was a regular occurence he would have already known what he was expected to do.
This really just sounds like a very unfortunate “miscommunication”.
sounds like a simple mistake to me
parents should watch out after their children and be more careful. i called the sheriffs office the other day because of two small children sitting in the road on hwy 4A. they were 3 maybe 4 yrs old. after we passed they laid down in the road………….and no there were no parents or adults in sight. at night there is always at least 4 to 7 adults or near adults out in the yard just hanging out…….guess they were asleep on this day or recovering from the night before.
I think this is not gonna be taken lightly. They will investigate the mother and see who her sitter was that was supposed to be there.They will question the sitter. They will talk to the person who gave him a ride from church. If the mother is telling a lie they will find out. Being a single mom with two kids myself this kind of stuff scares me. I have to have a sitter while I work and would hate to get a phone call saying my child was wondering down the street. Someone should be charged with neglect if not the mother than the sitter. I would press charges in a heart beat if someone left my kid alone when they was suppsed to be watching him. But I agree with another comment also, you dont just let a 5 year old CHILD out by himself. Atleast make sure someone is there at the home. But that is nice that someone will pick the child up for church but just be a little more aware when it comes to a child. Just imagine what was going through his mind at the time being all alone and a child not knowing what to do. I know he felt helpless so for the person who helped him should be awarded for kindness!!!
We don’t know why the mother wasn’t there. She could have been working. She said she thought someone was going to be there to watch the child. The person to find fault with is the person who dropped him off without checking to make sure someone came to the door. It would have been nice if Mom went to church with him but we don’t know why she wasn’t. At least she sent him. Please don’t judge her. That is what gives church members a bad name. You are giving nonchurch members an excuse to say that is why I don’t go to church.
You said it right “mikbee”! AMEN!
Do we know where the mother was, are we sure that the mother was not at their on church while the child was visiting with another child or friend at this church. This is what hurts churchs; people judging others and not looking at our on back yard. Thou shall not judge is in the Bible but how quickly some of or faithful church members do judge. The mother or church may have been in the wrong but until you know the whole truth we should keep the judging to the good Lord.
That child couldn’t have asked for a better Guardian Angel to watch after him!
Trish, my only hope is that people do not mistake you for me…geez! It’s not like Century is New York City….I’m sure that the deputies didn’t have that hard of a time figuring out who the mother was.
They knew the address, all you have to do is type in 411.com and reverse search address to get a name and then search drivers liscense data base…
)
JUST SAYING
but didn’t the s/o officers DO A GOOD JOB. Some times all you see on here is negative comments about law enforcement officers. THANKS TO THE OFFICERS FOR A JOB WELL DONE.
Some people don’t need children!
Yes, the database they have access to has a complete picture of the drivers license you carry. But the little boy did not know his last name. Even if they found out his last name that does not mean that his mother has the same last name. Things just sound odd. Of course there are always details that are not in the story which would could explain what or why. And yes stories are made to grab your attention. We never know how the authorities get their information which makes it even more thought provoking.
Trish, it could have been a Drivers License photo.
Im sure they have other ways of pulling drivers licences. Its 2010 there is all kinda of technology. And so what if she has, that doesnt make her a bad mother.
You can look up your own driver’s license on the computher. That may be what the officer used.
Has no one picked up on the statement that the Deputy showed a picture to the child to see if the child could identify the woman as his mother? Isn’t the only way a deputy has a picture of you is if you have been arrested.
I’m sure this was an eye opener for the mother. People get into such routine lives sometimes, they forget to be cautious. I do agree atleast eye contact should have been made with an adult at the home the boy was being dropped off at. Thank GOD the boy is OK..
Thank God for a happy ending to this story!
MARY…..read the WHOLE STORY! GEEZE!
Please make sure the child gets in safe and especially at that young age.And thank Miss Janet Lee, pastor of the Century United Methodist Church for stopping and helping this child. I would be more careful about the caregiver I got for my child, but it sounds like the mother should have been in church with her son.
Mary, read the rest of the article; it clearly states that DCF was called.
it is common courtesy when taking anyone home to wait by the curb or in the driveway to make sure the person you are dropping off gets inside safely, much less a 5 year old child. it is only logical to take the child to the door oneself and at least make contact with the care giver. thank goodness nothing horrible happened to this little one.
was “child services” called? This is not right! the not “THOUGHT” someone else was @ the home…GEEZZZ!!
Man o man……Scary!