Published: October 21, 2008 03:22 pm            

2-year-old returned home safely

A 2-year-old who got outside the family’s apartment at Whispering Pines, slipped under a fence and crawled into a shopping cart at a nearby business was returned home unscathed.

An employee of U.S. Cellular in River City Plaza off Shawnee Bypass went outside about 4:35 p.m. Monday for a smoke break. After watching the child slip under the fence and climb into the shopping cart, he called police, said Police Investigator Ginny Bemo.

The Department of Human Services also was called.

“The mother had taken obvious steps to keep the child inside ... the house was clean and neat,” Bemo said.

DHS instructed police to leave the child with its mother and planned to visit the home, Bemo said.