By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — A 4-year-old boy was reunited with his father early Friday morning after the child managed to get out of his Pearce Avenue home. A passing motorist spotted the child, who was not wearing any clothes, at 3:30 a.m. walking on High Street.
Sgt. Eric Crouse responded to the incident and took custody of the child at about 3:40 a.m. Crouse was not able to identify the child, who could not communicate his name or where he lived. The boy was brought to the police station and cared for by firefighter D.J. Norton and dispatcher Steve Wotton. Clothing and food was obtained for the youth.
For the next hour, HPD officers on duty canvassed the area, in search of the boy’s home. Additional officers were called in to assist at 4:47 a.m.
The Department of Human Services, as well as local media outlets, were notified of the situation. The department also posted information on its Facebook page, seeking the public’s help in identifying the boy so he could be returned home.
Local daycare providers and postal carriers who service this part of town were also contacted to seek their help in identifying the child. Officers then began going door-to-door at roughly 5 a.m. with a photograph of the boy asking residents if they knew the child.
At 5:53 a.m., officer Erica Pelletier spoke with postal carrier Matthew Callnan, who was able to identify the young boy from the photograph. He was returned to his home shortly thereafter.
At Monday night’s Houlton Town Council meeting, councilor Mike Jenkins applauded the actions of the Houlton Police Department.
“The fast actions, determination and creativity of the officers took what could have been a tragic outcome and made it a very happy ending,” Jenkins said. “The town [needs to be] aware of just how great of a police department we have and how quickly they resolved this situation. I want to congratulate the chief and all of his officers.”