A Lowell man is facing a felony neglect charge after police found his young nonverbal autistic son wandering alone and partially unclothed late Sunday night.

According to the Lowell Police Department, officers were dispatched around 11:04 p.m. on May 31 after a caller reported a small child, believed to be about four years old, running down East Main Street without clothing from the waist down. Officers located the child running in the roadway and were able to safely stop him before he reached nearby railroad tracks.

Police discovered the child was barefoot, without pants or underwear, and appeared unable to communicate. Believing he may be nonverbal autistic, officers requested medical assistance and had the child transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Crown Point while they worked to identify him and locate his guardians.

After canvassing the neighborhood, officers identified the child and traced him back to a residence approximately one mile away. Investigators made contact with the child’s father, 38-year-old, Ean Hescher, who reportedly told police the child was likely trying to walk to his mother’s house. Hescher stated he and the child had gone to bed around 4:30 p.m. and believed the boy may have left through a back door.

Officers also observed a small dog inside a vehicle in the driveway with feces in the backseat.  Officers were able to remove the dog from the vehicle in the driveway and place it in to the residence. While doing so officers observed the living conditions within the residence which appeared to be deplorable. Officers stated in the report that it appeared there was garbage and pieces of drywall throughout the residence.

Police later arrested Hescher on a charge of Neglect of a Dependent, a Level 6 Felony. Child Protective Services was also notified. Court records indicate the child was found about a mile from the residence before officers intervened. The child was safely reunited with his mother who lives in a nearby town.

Hescher currently works for the Lake County Sheriff Department. The status of Hescher with the department after this incident is to be determined.

All suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.