3-Year-Old Escaped Preschool, Found Wandering Down Busy Road

COLUMBIA, MD — A three-year-old somehow wandered off the property of his preschool, Columbia Academy, and was found walking along Old Columbia Road Dec. 30. A complaint recently was filed by the child's parents, Medrika and Timothy Womack, on behalf of their son in Howard County Circuit Court.

The family's attorney, J. Wyndal Gordon, said in a statement that the child easily opened two sets of double doors at the school's entrance/exit and walked outside. As he took off, he became "disoriented." He managed to walk through the office complex and the parking lot before ending up on Old Columbia Road.

The complaint filed with the court said that drivers were honking at the little boy, had to stomp on their brakes to avoid hitting him and swerved around him as he walked down the middle of the road approximately a quarter of a mile from the preschool. The child eventually was snatched up by a manager at ExtraSpace Storage on Old Columbia Road.

The complaint also stated that Medrika Womack was contacted by the Columbia Academy asking if she had picked up her child after she had already been notified by the police that they had him in custody.