3-year-old found on street; mother may be charged

A 3-year-old boy found wandering alone in Pioneer Square early Sunday while police say his mother was in a nearby nightclub will remain in foster care at least until Wednesday, according to a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services.

The boy was cold and not wearing shoes when a man saw him wandering alone through the downtown Seattle neighborhood, said police spokeswoman Reneé Witt. His mother, an Issaquah woman, had left him in an unlocked station wagon while she went into a nightclub, Witt said.

"He got out of the car and maybe got tired of sitting in there, opened the door and crawled out," she said.

It's unclear how long the child had been outside, but police were contacted about 12:30 a.m. after the man saw the child, Witt said.

The man told police that when he parked in a lot on Occidental Avenue South he saw the child dressed in dark clothing only feet away, Witt said.

The man said he couldn't find the child's parents so he took the boy to Trinity Nightclub, a few blocks away on Yesler Way, and security called for help, Witt said.

Seattle firefighters checked the boy to make sure he was healthy before the child was taken to the Police Department's West Precinct. A social worker with Child Protective Services took the boy into state custody, Witt said.

Police were waiting at the mother's car when she emerged from The Last Supper Club, at 124 S. Washington St., later in the morning. Officers directed the woman to the police precinct where she could meet with officers.

When the woman arrived, the child had already been taken into state custody, Witt said.

Once at the precinct the woman, who Witt declined to identify, was questioned and released.

"The child is in foster care at this point, and we have until Wednesday to go to court and petition to keep him in protective custody of the state," said Kathy Spears, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services. "At this point we're in the investigative stage."

The case is being looked into by the Police Department's Special Assault Unit, Witt said. Detectives are investigating the woman for reckless endangerment, a felony.

Spears said a confidentiality law forbids her from disclosing whether the agency has had past contact with the woman and her son.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com