A 29-year-old Rochester man faces charges of child neglect after he allegedly hid for several hours with his children in Chester Woods.
The man had taken the 5- and 6-year-olds to the park Saturday without their mother's permission, said Sgt. Tom Claymon of the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office. When law enforcement went to find them, the man ran into the woods with them, the report says. They had no food, shelter or water, Claymon said, and the children weren't wearing shoes.
The man's father allegedly drove to the woods about 3:30 a.m. Sunday and picked up the children; the suspect hid in the trunk as they left the area, the report says.
He returned the children to their mother that morning, Claymon said, where they were reported as cold, tired and thirsty. The temperature dropped to 46 degrees overnight.
The Post-Bulletin typically doesn't identify suspects until they've been charged.
