Florida father arrested after son with autism found naked, running on I-4 ramp, police say
By Allison Petro
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ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. (WESH) — A father is facing several charges after his son, who has autism, was discovered naked on an I-4 ramp, according to the Altamonte Springs Police Department.
Officers reported witnessing a child running naked down the ramp and attempted to communicate with the child, but realized he was autistic and non-verbal.
Shortly after, officers received a 911 call about a missing child who matched the same description. Altamonte Springs police officers met up with the callers at a nearby Walgreens.
Upon arriving, the mother immediately checked the child and placed him into her vehicle.
The mother told the police officer that she fell asleep in the passenger seat while the child’s father delivered food for Uber Eats.
After she woke up, she noticed it was very quiet and turned around to check up on the child. However, she soon realized he was missing from his seat.
The father was also shocked and claimed he thought the child was in the back seat while he picked up orders.
After realizing the child was missing, they traced their steps back to every delivery spot. That’s when they saw a heavy law enforcement presence near the I-4 ramp and made the 911 call.
The father, 35-year-old Jeremy Rouse, decided to come clean to officers and admitted he knew the child was missing from the back seat. However, he continued making deliveries because he didn’t want his Uber Eats rating to drop.
As a result, Rouse was arrested and charged with cruelty toward a child without great bodily harm and perjury for making a false affidavit in official proceedings, according to the Altamonte Springs Police Department.
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