A Blairsville man was charged yesterday with felony endangering the welfare of children and misdemeanor recklessly endangering another person when his four-year-old daughter was found by a neighbor standing alone along the Old William Penn Highway in Burrell Township.
State police say the girl was unharmed. State troopers were dispatched at 10:22 AM after getting a call from the neighbor, who said he’d found the shivering unknown toddler dressed in her jacket over a sweatshirt, pants, and boots with no socks. The man took the child inside his home and call 911.
Troopers canvassed the area in search of the little girl’s parents or guardian, and after knocking on doors of nearby neighbors, they located 36-year-old Jason K. Johnson, who was at home but was unaware that his daughter had left the house. Police determined that she’d gone out the front door while Johnson slept, and walked across the highway. They believe she’d been gone less than an hour when the neighbor found her.
Johnson was arraigned before District Judge Bob Bell, who released him on $5,000 unsecured bond, and set a preliminary hearing for February 19th.
