Officer Saves Toddler Wandering in Traffic

A policeman made a U-turn in rush hour traffic Thursday to save a 23-month-old toddler, clad only in a diaper, who was walking and crawling alone on Harbor Boulevard.

Officer James Colegrove, 28, was driving north on the major thoroughfare about 5 p.m. when he saw the boy clutching a doll in the southbound fast lane.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said Colegrove, who had just driven past Chapman Avenue en route to a reported gang fight. “Why didn’t the other cars stop? Why did no other cars stop? I was shocked.”

As traffic approached the child, the officer swung his vehicle behind the toddler to form a barrier, then got out and picked him up, police said.

“I bent down to pick up the kid and he gave me a bear hug around my neck,” the officer said.

“I expected to pick up the child and immediately hand him off to a frantic mother,” Colegrove said. “But there was no mother, no guardian, no nothing.”

After searching the neighborhood, police arrested a 32-year-old woman, who was supposed to be baby-sitting the boy, on suspicion of child endangerment.

The toddler was taken to the Orangewood Children’s Home, where he was found to be in good condition, said Sgt. Frank Hauptmann.

Colegrove described the boy as “a happy-go-lucky guy, very friendly” when he scooped him up and placed him in the front seat of the police car. Without a child seat for the toddler, Colegrove drove slowly to a nearby motel, where he parked and waited for assistance.

Officers searched the neighborhood for an hour without finding any relatives. At that point, Colegrove borrowed a car seat and took the child to Orangewood.

Just after 6 p.m., a police car that was searching the area was flagged down at the intersection of Harbor and Yucca Avenue by Veronica Valdez, who identified herself as the child’s mother. Valdez told police she had been running errands and left the child with her roommate, Deborah Ann Metro.

Police arrested Metro at her home in the 1700 block of Harbor Boulevard. She is being held at the Orange County Jail.

Police said they believe Metro had been smoking marijuana and fell asleep, allowing the child to wander off.

The child will remain at Orangewood pending a Department of Social Services investigation.