'Just a diaper': Man arrested after frostbitten toddler found wandering alone in the snow on 13-degree day, police say

An Indiana antheral was precocious arrested aft his toddler was recovered frostbitten and wandering astir successful the freezing snowfall wearing lone a diaper, constabulary successful the Hoosier authorities say.

Logan Nickolas, 20, stands accused of 1 number each of neglect of a dependent resulting successful bodily injury, and neglect of a babelike wherever the suspect places dependent successful a concern that endangers them, according to the Greenfield Police Department.

The underlying incidental occurred connected Monday afternoon, according to a press release issued by the constabulary department.

Around 3 p.m., officers were called to the Prairie Meadows Apartment Homes successful Greenfield – a tiny municipality located on the acold eastbound borderline of the broader Indianapolis metro area.

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Police arrived successful effect to a study astir the unattended, hardly clothed child, according to the property release.

One pistillate called to study she heard a crying child, past went extracurricular to find the 2-year-old lasting successful the snowfall with tegument the colour of beets, according to tribunal documents obtained by Indianapolis-based Fox affiliate WXIN. The somesthesia astatine the clip was 13 degrees.

Outside 1 of the flat homes, responding officers recovered the kid successful question, 1 wrapped the toddler successful his coat, and enactment them "inside a lukewarm conveyance until EMS unit arrived," constabulary said.

"Officers recovered footprints successful the snowfall astir the analyzable wherever the toddler was located, indicating that they were walking done the snowfall for a while," according to the property release.

Those footprints allegedly continued immoderate 750 feet and led backmost to an flat portion connected Switch Grass Drive with an unfastened beforehand door.

"Officers made announcements into the flat and got nary response," the property merchandise alleges. So, past the constabulary went in.

Inside, officers recovered the defendant, who is the child's father, sleeping connected the couch, according to the constabulary department.

After the responding officers made "several large announcements," Nickolas yet woke up, said the kid belonged to him, and belonged wrong the apartment, instrumentality enforcement claims.

Police besides gathered respective different impressions astir the flat itself into the charging papers obtained by the section TV station.

The odor of burnt marijuana was evident inside, constabulary claim. At the apical of the stairs, a babe gross was installed, but unlatched, constabulary allege. A handgun sat connected 1 countertop, allegedly, adjacent to a sheet with a chopped straw connected top, an evident allusion to cause paraphernalia.

Nickolas, for his part, insisted helium had not utilized immoderate drugs but, rather, "dozed off" owed to his late-night enactment schedule, constabulary said.

But that communicative did not align with what the child's parent had to say.

In a consequent interview, the child's parent said Nickolas had precocious been utilizing marijuana, cocaine, and "any different benignant of cause that helium could get his hands on," according to the charging document.

The child's parent told constabulary she was astatine enactment and had been allowing the child's begetter to enactment astatine her location "on and off" for a week. On the time successful question, the parent had repeatedly tried to scope the suspect by phone, to nary avail, according to the charging document.

When EMS unit arrived, the kid was determined to beryllium suffering from terrible hypothermia and frostbite afflicting their fingers and toes, instrumentality enforcement said. The toddler was past rushed to a adjacent infirmary and treated for their injuries successful unchangeable condition.

Another nonmigratory astatine the flat analyzable spoke with NBC affiliate WTHR astir the shocking find connected that cold, acold day.

"I saw him," the pistillate said, explaining that she asked a neighbour to dial 911. "No pants, nary shoes – conscionable a diaper. If I can't consciousness my fingers oregon my toes, I cognize that babe can't either. That babe should person ne'er been retired determination without clothes. I don't adjacent cognize if the babe had eaten. That's my biggest interest — being retired determination successful the acold and ice."