March 29--A West Side man was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bail Sunday after prosecutors said his 2-year-old son was found out in the street.
Jeff R. Henderson, 33, was charged with misdemeanor child endangerment in the incident, which took place Saturday at his residence in the 3500 block of West Adams Street, according to Cook County court records.
Police responded to reports of a child in the street near the corner of Adams and South Saint Louis Avenue, according to court records.
The boy was wearing a T-shirt, a diaper and no shoes, according to records.
Police canvassed the neighborhood to see where the child lives and found Henderson at his house, according to court records.
Henderson answered the door in his underwear and had slurred speech and glassy eyes, according to records.
He gave a blank stare and did not respond when police asked if he was missing a child, according to records.
But when police asked Henderson to identify the child they had brought to his porch, he screamed, "my son!" court records state.
Henderson told police he was asleep and didn't know how the boy got out of the house.
He could not provide the child's date of birth, court records state, nor could he tell officers what day of the week it was, or the day's date.
"I got my son," he repeatedly said to police, according to court records.
The child's mother and both sets of grandparents were contacted, court records state, with all parties telling authorities that Henderson had recently been in treatment for substance abuse.
geoffz@tribpub.com
