Boy wanders from backyard
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — A 2-year-old boy was found safe Thursday afternoon after he had wandered from his backyard to a property more than a half mile away.
State police said the boy's mother, Alexandria Pridemore, 22, of 110 Northside Lane, reported him missing at 11:15 a.m. The Slippery Rock Rescue Team was dispatched to the scene just before noon.
Emergency crews in helicopters, on all-terrain vehicles and on foot searched for the boy for about two hours before he was found safe at a nearby yard. Friends, family and neighbors also assisted.
“I came down right away,” said Ken Burns of Harrisville, a family friend.
The boy, who Burns and another neighbor identified as Chase, had been missing for about two-and-a-half hours.
Burns was so frantic he had searched for the boy wearing slippers. With heavy brush, a creek and railroad tracks surrounding the property, emergency crews and loved ones alike were concerned for the boy's safety.
Around 1:30 p.m., he was found at 429 Branchton Road. He had some minor scrapes and scratches.“He walked there; nobody took him,” said James Peters, a paramedic with the Slippery Rock Rescue Team.State troopers escorted the boy in a golf cart back to the family.Shortly after the boy's return, family members held him while talking with state troopers. Family members declined to comment.State police led the search. Fire departments that participated were from Slippery Rock, Harrisville, Marion Township and Unionville in Butler County, Pine Township and Grove City in Mercer County and Scott Township in Lawrence County.The Butler County Sheriff's office brought a K-9 unit, and STAT MedEvac assisted via helicopter.State troopers did not immediately release additional information about the incident.
