Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – A man police say left a four-year-old boy who was later found alone in a parking lot, has been arraigned and is being held without bail.
Leon Tennant, 52, who is from the Rome area, is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on Friday.
The boy’s parents told police they let Leon Tennant take their son on a walk to a store from their home on Highland St. in Syracuse on Sunday evening.
Around 11:40 p.m., a 911 call reported the boy was alone by a dumpster in the Key Bank parking lot on Butternut St.
The child was reunited with his parents, taken to the hospital, and determined to be unharmed.
Police say Tennant is a friend of the child’s father and that they had met in rehab.
When Tennant did not return with the boy after several hours, the child’s parents called police around 10:20 p.m.
The family showed officers the Chevrolet pickup truck Tennant was driving, which police say was stolen from Rome.
Around 12:30 a.m. Monday, police found Tennant near 600 E. Willow St., and he was taken into custody after a brief struggle.
Tennant is charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, and resisting arrest.
Tennant has been hospitalized for unknown reasons, but will be arraigned when he's released.
