LEWISBURG, W.Va. – A Lewisburg man is being investigated after police say his 4-year-old son was discovered wandering alone in the early morning hours of Thursday and was nearly hit by a vehicle outside an apartment complex.
Officers from the Lewisburg Police Department responded to Lewis Terrace Apartments at 5:43 a.m. on April 24 after a caller reported nearly hitting a small child who was alone on the road.
According to the criminal complaint, officers arrived on the scene and found the child. While looking for the child’s guardian, officers discovered an open apartment door where a woman reported that someone had been in her home.
Officers conducted further investigation and discovered another apartment with its door propped open by a wooden chair. A man named Brycen Scott Johnson emerged from the unit and claimed ownership of the child.
Johnson told police that a female friend helps him care for his son while he works. He claimed he was unaware of how the child had escaped.
Police reviewed security footage, which showed Johnson arriving at the complex with the child between 1 and 1:30 a.m. and returning to the apartment, where he propped the door open and did not appear to close it afterwards. The video later showed the child leaving the apartment unsupervised around 4:55 a.m.
Officers noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Johnson, who admitted to drinking two beers the night before, the last at around 11 p.m. A preliminary breath test at 7 a.m. revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.079%.
Child Protective Services was notified, and a caseworker responded. Johnson agreed to temporarily place the child in their care while the investigation is ongoing.
Johnson reportedly told officers that he had no memory of picking up his son the night before and was unsure how the child had gotten out of the apartment. The investigation is ongoing.
Johnson is currently in Southern Regional Jail, with bail set at $20,000.
