Father arrested after abandoning 2-year-old in moving car

GRANDVIEW, Mo. – A 23-year-old man is in police custody after leading a Grandview police officer on a chase where the man subsequently abandoned his vehicle with his two-year-old son in the car. The child was not in a car seat and authorities are investigating this case as child endangerment. The man appeared to be under the influence of drugs, police said.

The chase began around 4:30 a.m. after a Grandview officer observed a red 2003 Dodge Stratus speeding on an access road south of Blue Ridge. The man eluded the officer exiting on southbound 71 Highway and accelerated to speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. The officer discontinued his chase and later found the vehicle still moving at the 14400 block of an access road for 71 Highway. Police said the vehicle stopped by itself and upon investigation authorities found the two-year-old boy.

Both Grandview and Kansas City Police officers searched for the man and found him in a nearby creek hiding in waist-deep water. He was taken to Research Medical Center suffering from hypothermia; police also identified him as the boy’s father.

The child is currently in custody of Division of Family Services. Police did not make any mention of injuries sustained by him. The adult’s name has not yet been released.