Horror.com Forums - Talk about horror. - Unattended child found sleeping in the shrubs at McDonalds

Moses may've been found in the bulrushes but yesterday morning a nine-year old Belpre boy was found unattended and sleeping on mulch under the shrubbery in McDonalds parking lot.
According to Pomeroy Chief of Police Mark E. Proffitt McDonalds' customers reported the sleeping child to management who then brought the boy inside the restaurant and called his department around 9:25 a.m.]Proffitt said witnesses at McDonalds had noticed the boy lingering in and around the restaurant two hours earlier before customers reported him sleeping under the shrubbery.The boy was then taken to Meigs County Juvenile Probate Court until Meigs County Children's Services workers arrived to access the situation.

In the meantime the boy's father, Doug Copeland, 45, Belpre, arrived at McDonalds to pick up his son around 10:05 a.m. according to Pomeroy dispatcher Heather Wise. Wise said Copeland then arrived at the police department to claim his son shortly afterward.

Proffitt said Copeland was openly belligerent to Wise and made threatening remarks while Proffitt was en route to the police department along with Middleport Chief of Police Bruce Swift who assisted in the case.Proffitt described Copeland as being irate and disorderly and he was placed under arrest and charged with child endangerment, a first degree misdemeanor, and persistent disorderly conduct. He later posted bond.

Proffitt said Copeland verbally admitted he dropped off his son at McDonalds yesterday morning, gave the child some money for food, and left to deliver a tractor trailer load of stone to Belpre. After the load was delivered he returned for his son only to find him gone.

Proffitt was not sure how long the boy had been on his own at the restaurant and he said Copeland felt the department was blowing the situation out of proportion.

Proffitt said he obviously did not feel the same and he takes every call he gets seriously but admitted, �In my years as a police officer I'd never gotten a call like that.�

Proffitt also praised McDonalds' staff and customers for being observant and contacting his department.

As for the boy, he was released into the custody of his mother and the case has now been handed over to the Washington County Department of Human Services for review.

Can you believe this shit? This happened where i live, i can't believe it!! I know this should be in the true crime section, but i wanted to make sure everyone would see it.