12/15/2008

Associated Press

Child Protective Services claimed oversight of a 4-year-old boy found at a Beaumont discount store, playing with toys, as police responded to a burglar alarm.

Police say store surveillance video showed the unidentified boy tried one of the front doors to a Family Dollar store about 3 a.m. Monday, only to find it locked. But the second door was unlocked and the child went inside.

That triggered the silent alarm.

Detective Randy Stevens said the child apparently unlocked a door at his nearby home, got out, then crossed a multilane street to reach the store.

A canvass of the neighborhood turned up a family member searching for the child.

CPS spokeswoman Shari Pulliam says the agency has taken oversight of the child during a review of the incident. She says the boy will be allowed to stay with other relatives, not the parents, during the CPS review period.

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Information from: KFDM-TV, http://www.kfdm.com