A Georgia dad is arrested after his 1-year-old baby was found crawling near a busy highway.
Authorities said the baby was found along the shoulder of highway 72 in Carlton on Friday by Bryant Collins, the Daily News reported. The child was covered in bug bites and scratches after she crawled 300 yards through woods and tumbled down a 15-foot embankment when she slipped out of her family’s home.
"I had seen something out of the corner of my eye, and I thought it was a baby," Collins said to Channel 11Alive. "I just stopped and, when I got out, there was a baby … almost in the highway." Collins told the station that when the baby started crying he played gospel music to her through his phone and she calmed down right away.
Timothy Pickens, the child’s father, went looking for the child after they noticed she left the home and saw authorities gathered where they found her. He was shortly arrested after he allegedly tried to snatch the baby from Collin’s hands, pushing the deputy during the outburst.
He was charged with cruelty to children, reckless conduct and obstruction. Although the child was released to her mother, there is a possibility that she too may be charged.
Collins, who found the little girl, was an ex convict who served 10 years for manufacturing cocaine. He told the news station that he was grateful for the opportunity to save a life.