Man reports missing child, but forgot the kid was at home, cops say. He’s been charged
A man who reported a child was missing from his car outside of a grocery store is facing charges, Connecticut state police said.
When police arrived at the Price Chopper in Mansfield the evening of Oct. 23, the 30-year-old man said the child had disappeared from his vehicle while he was inside the store, according to an Oct. 24 state police news release.
However, the child was actually at home when he drove to Price Chopper, police said.
The missing child report caused state authorities, Price Chopper employees, members of the University of Connecticut Police Department and Coventry Police Department to scour the area looking for the minor, whose age wasn’t specified, according to police.
A review of surveillance footage ultimately revealed that the man had visited Price Chopper with the child, before returning a second time later that evening, police said.
During his second trip, which led to the police response, the man was alone but was “unaware” he hadn’t brought the child, according to police.
Nearly an hour after the search began, the child was found at home “unharmed,” police said.
There, troopers suspected the man was possibly impaired and conducted field sobriety tests — which the man didn’t perform “to standard,” police said.
The man, of Mansfield, was taken into custody and booked on charges of operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs, second-degree reckless endangerment, risk of injury to a child and second-degree breach of peace, according to police.
He was held on a $25,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Oct. 24, according to the release.
Court records show he was released from custody and is due back in court on Dec. 5 for a plea hearing.
Information regarding his legal representation wasn’t listed in court records as of Oct. 25.
Mansfield is about 25 miles east of Hartford.
This story was originally published October 25, 2023 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Man reports missing child, but forgot the kid was at home, cops say. He’s been charged."
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