KINGMAN -A one-year-old boy was unharmed when located and removed from an unattended vehicle in north Kingman Monday afternoon. The child’s father had been discovered sleeping in his home about one block away, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s office (MCSO).

Agency spokeswoman Anita Mortensen said Raymond Michael Lopez, 43, was arrested and booked into the Mohave County Adult Detention center for child abuse. She said Lopez’ wife contact the MCSO about 3:30 p.m. seeking help in locating Lopez and their son.

Mortensen said the woman drove Lopez and their son to a school to pick up two other children. When she returned, Lopez, their son and the vehicle were gone.

Mortensen said the woman and the other two children walked to their home in the 2300 block of Leroy Avenue but that Lopez, the boy and the vehicle were not there. She said the woman walked to her parent’s house to report that Lopez was intoxicated when he drove away from the school, before she returned to the Leroy Avenue home where she found her husband sleeping inside.

Mortensen said deputies used OnStar to trace the vehicle to the 2300 block of Lass Avenue, just one block from the Leroy home.

“Deputies located the vehicle and found the child still strapped into a car seat inside the non-running vehicle with the windows up,” Mortensen said. “The child was removed from the vehicle and was evaluated by medical personnel and found to have no injuries.”

Mortensen said video surveillance showed Lopez park and walk away from the vehicle and his son. She said it is not clear why Lopez parked a block away, but that the incident remains under investigation.

Dave Hawkins