Child found wandering down the middle of Gervais Street, relative charged

A Georgia man, in Columbia for a meeting on Wednesday, was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child after a 5-year-old girl in his care was found wandering down the middle of Gervais Street, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said in a news release.

A downtown worker spotted the child walking down the busy thoroughfare and called 9-1-1 around 8 a.m. Despite frigid temperatures in Columbia on Wednesday the child was without a coat, shoes or socks when she was discovered, police said.

John Larry Toole, 38, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was located at a nearby business.He was accused of leaving the girl in his car unattended during his business meeting.

The child’s mother flew to Columbia Wednesday night and was reunited with her daughter,Holbrook said.

On Thursday, a judge set a personal recognizance bond for Toole at $20,000. He also was ordered not to have contact with the child or her mother.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Child found wandering down the middle of Gervais Street, relative charged."