NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jose Rivera Jr. is charged with felony child neglect after Metro police say his child was found wandering along a road.
Metro police were called to the scene by a woman who spotted the 5-year-old child walking along the intersection of Castlegate Drive and Lauren Court and stopped to check on him, according to a police affidavit.
The report stated that the boy did not know where he was, but told the woman that his father had kicked him out of the residence.
The boy was found wearing flip flops, dark pants, and a Ninja Turtles blanket. He did not have a shirt on at the time.
A officer walked with the boy and was able to locate his home in the 800 block of Holder Court.
The officer knocked loudly several times before a man came to the door. When asked if he knew where his son was, he told the officer he was on the couch watching TV.
Once he realized the boy was missing, he told the officer he had been sleeping.
The officer contacted the Department of Children’s Services and found officers had previously been called to the home to check on the welfare of the children for a lack of supervision.
Rivera was previously charged with aggravated child endangerment in 2013, but that charge was dismissed.
Authorities said the child’s mother was listed as the caretaker of the child during the prosecution of that incident.
