Local & State Headlines

Toddler saved after great escape

• A recent addition to an Albany day care nearly managed a great escape Friday, reports show.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — An attentive county police officer managed to wrangle an energetic 4-year-old Friday after she managed to escape her daycare and cross a busy Albany street, police reports show.

According to police reports, Patrolman Robert James was traveling in the 500 block of East Oakridge Drive when he told officers he saw 4-year-old Isabella Marie Stegemiller cross the road. The child, who James said was nearly struck by a white F-150 pickup, was quickly wrangled and delivered back to the scene of her daring escape — Gracious Little Ones Day Care.

In the report, day care workers told police that they had taken Isabella’s class to use the restroom. But after an extended period of time had elapsed and still no sign of the child, workers checked the bathroom and found she had somehow slipped out.

A latch at the top of the bathroom door and out of the reach of the children normally prevents anyone from opening the door, workers told police. But, for some reason, the door wasn’t latched Friday, which allowed Isabella to skip out without anyone noticing, the report says.

Workers at the facility immediately began searching the premises for the girl, and by the time they started to check outside, James had just brought her back, the report says.

According to the report, the girl’s mother arrived on the scene and told police that her daughter didn’t appear to be injured and didn’t require medical attention and police noted that both she and day care administrators told Isabella never to leave the day care without permission.

The girl’s mother told police that Isabella has been at the day care for less than a month and has not adjusted to it yet, the report says.

No charges were filed in the case.