SOUTH EL MONTE >> Investigators arrested a Pomona man early Thursday for allegedly abandoning his prospective adopted 6-year-old son at the Whittier Narrow Recreation Area in South El Monte earlier this week.
Deputies arrested Juan Manuel Garcia-Tellez, 31, about 9 a.m. Thursday after spotting him at his Pomona home, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials and booking records. He is in a relationship with the boy’s mother and was apparently in the process of trying to adopt the boy.
The investigation began about 9:40 p.m. Monday when a good Samaritan called authorities to report finding a 6-year-old boy wandering alone in the park near Legg Lake, Deputy Johnny Jones of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Parks Bureau said.
“He was just throwing rocks into he water. He was crying because he was looking for his dad.”
A car, later determined to be Garcia-Tellez’s, was found several miles away, however there were no signs of the man, officials said.
“The child, who was cold and hungry, was placed in the deputy’s patrol car and fed while parks bureau personnel continued to search,” Jones said.
After more than three hours of searching with no success, deputies turned the boy over to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services about 1 a.m., Jones said.
Officials ultimately contacted the boy’s mother and returned her child to her.
Garcia-Tellez’s motive was not clear, Jones said. The suspect said he left the boy at the park while running errand.
But investigators learned that he had been involved in an argument with the boy’s mother hours before leaving the boy alone at the park.
Deputies stopped by Garcia-Tellez home several times this week, but did not find him, Jones said. But they found him there Thursday morning and took him into custody without a struggle.
Garcia-Tellez was booked on suspicion of child endangerment, Jones said.
He was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Monday in El Monte Superior Court, records show.
I think this is a violation of privacy. I am the mother of the child that is being mentioned above and who gave you permision to publish my husbands name.
You are a moron..this is your fault. You are a terrible mother!
Your husband is a sorry excuse for a man.!…and you are the biggest idiot for allowing your child to be endangered by this man..furthermore, shame on you for protecting this piece of sh**. Without even reading this article,I’m sure everyone that knows your husband is well aware that he is a loser. Good luck to your poor child. With parents like you two, unfortunately, he probably won’t get far in life. Good job for protecting your loser husbands privacy instead of the well being of your son.you both deserve to be in jail and your poor son deserves a chance in life..you idiot!
Why are you defending your bfrnd/husband??? Are you even concerned about what could of happened to your 6 YEAR OLD SON! Doesn’t this tell you what he is capable of doing to your son if you both end up fighting again ??? You need to think of the what ifs. And PROTECT your son who didn’t ask to be brought into this crazy world. Wow!
Mariana solis if you cant see how much of a loser your husband is, maybe you two deserve eachother but for your son. I feel so bad for him to have two idiots raising him! Im hoping child protective services does this poor boy some justice, maybe put him in a safer environment!
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