A Collinsville man was jailed after a two year old child was found alone in the roadway last Saturday night (October 5th)

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office was notified at approximately 9:00 of a small child being alone in the roadway on County Road 12 just south of Collinsville. 

Emergency Medical Personnel had found the child – but they were unable to locate a parent nearby.

When deputies arrived on the scene they checked a nearby residence, but no one was home – shortly thereafter, a man who turned out to be the father of the two year old – 31 year old Dustin Smith, emerged from a field close to the home.  Smith was found to be in possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a large quantity of Xanax pills.  He was placed under arrest and charged with the Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Child in Need of Supervision.  Additional charges may be forthcoming, pending additional investigation.

DHR was notified and placed the child in custody of a relative.

DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said of the incident: “This is exactly why we feel so strongly about not having narcotics around children; the two do not mix. This child could have been seriously hurt, killed, or abducted due to this parent’s negligence.”

“I’d like to thank the Emergency Medical Technicians who found the child and commend our deputies for handling this situation so well. If it had not been for them, this situation could have been a whole lot worse,” he said.