Janitor Finds Hours-Old Baby; Woman Sought : Simi Valley: The newborn boy is in good condition. Police think the mother may need treatment or counseling.

An elementary school custodian found a newborn child, partially wrapped in a bloody blanket, lying on the sidewalk outside a classroom in Simi Valley early Friday, police said.

Jerry Halverson had just finished vacuuming the office at White Oak Elementary School when he rounded a corner on the way to another building and found the infant boy about 6:50 a.m.

“I felt like I was dreaming, I couldn’t believe what I saw,” Halverson said. “I talked to him. As ridiculous as it sounds, I said, ‘Hang on, little guy. I’m going to get some help for you.’ ”

The custodian, who has worked at the school on Alscot Avenue since April, called 911 and covered the motionless child with towels. “After I covered him up, he started moving,” he said.

The infant, who police estimated was born within an hour or two of being found, was taken to Simi Valley Hospital and later transferred to Ventura County Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition Friday afternoon.

Simi Valley police spent the day searching the neighborhood around the school for clues that could lead to the newborn’s mother.

Witnesses told police they saw a young, disoriented woman walking barefoot near the school a little more than an hour after Halverson’s discovery, Lt. Bob Klamser said.

“Based on what they reported they saw, we think that this may have been the mother,” Klamser said. “It appeared something was wrong.”

Klamser said part of the urgency in finding the woman is that often in such cases the mother is a juvenile who may need medical treatment or emotional counseling.

“Often, there are two victims in cases like these,” he said.

Still, Klamser said there is a potential for criminal charges against the mother that could range from misdemeanor child endangerment to attempted murder. He said a charge as serious as attempted murder was unlikely in this case because of the way the baby was found.

“This child wasn’t dumped in a trash can or a dumpster or anything like that,” he said.

Teachers at White Oak nicknamed the child “Okey,” after the school and said they planned to set up a support fund to benefit the boy, who seems to have found at least a friend in Halverson.

“I’m going to keep in touch with him, go see him,” the custodian said. “I don’t have any kids of my own, except for all the kids here at the school. I go home to five cats and a dog.”

Times staff writer Daryl Kelley contributed to this story.