Child reported missing
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The Avengers of movie fame weren’t the only superheroes in the news last week; a 5-year-old boy who attempted to ride his Spiderman bicycle to visit a friend in Mars Hill also garnered the attention of local law enforcement when his mother called police to report her son missing.
The Presque Isle Police Department received a call around 7:44 p.m. on May 16 from a woman reporting her child, whose attire included “Cars” sneakers, had refused to come in for the night and had gotten away from her and was last seen riding his bike away from their Birch Street home. Officers Joey Seeley and Kevin Reed responded. Seeley picked up the mother and the two officers began searching the area between North and Pine streets.
In the meantime, the boy was spotted traveling on the bike path in the vicinity of Zippel Elementary School. Off-duty firefighter Dale Morrison told police he saw the youth traveling across Blake Street. Seeley spoke with an individual on the bike path who acknowledged seeing a child matching the boy’s description riding his bicycle up Academy Street.
The Presque Isle Fire Department was contacted and volunteer firefighters were paged in to aid in the search. Deputy Chief Laurie Kelly was also notified.
Reed and an UMPI intern doubled back to the Aroostook Centre Mall, in case the boy had turned around.
Seeley checked Mantle Lake Park, where witnesses reported seeing a young kid matching the description of the missing boy heading toward UMPI. Firefighter BJ Estey went to South Main Street to check. Estey found Presque Isle resident John Graves — using his four-way flashers to warn other drivers — following a young child, who was riding his bike on the Houlton Road. When discovered, the 5-year-old was traveling near McCluskey’s Trailer Sales.
The mother confirmed it was her son and the two were reunited. The boy told Seeley he was riding his bicycle to his friend’s house in Mars Hill.
Despite the long ride and having crossed several busy intersections, the boy was unharmed. Police advise parents and guardians not to hesitate when a child is missing, since time is of the essence. Fortunately for this mother and son, there was a storybook ending and both returned home no worse for the adventure.
