News Summary

BUTLER TWP., Montgomery County — A Tipp City man left his three sons — one, two and three years old — in a pick-up truck idling in the fire lane in front of the Sam's Club at 6955 Miller Lane on Monday, Aug. 18, and the two-year-old threw the truck into gear, police said.

The truck rolled forward and grazed the side of the store, but a passerby was able to stop the vehicle before it got very far, according to Capt. Carl Bush.

"It could have gotten out into traffic. It could have hit someone," Bush said. "And you hear all the time about people jumping into cars with the keys in them and driving off.

"Getting out of that truck was a bad idea on a lot of levels."

Bush said the incident began about 4 p.m. Monday. He said the driver, Andrew W. Leadford, 25, had been waiting in the car with his sons while his wife was in the store.

Bush said the man drove into the fire lane in front of the store and left the truck running while he dashed inside to look for his wife. Apparently, the two-year-old was able to get out of his car seat, and into the driver's seat where he moved the gear shift.

A man in the parking lot realized the truck was moving without a driver, Bush said. He got alongside, opened the door and stopped the truck as it scraped the outside wall of the store.

Bush said the truck was aimed toward an access road leading from Dixie Drive to the store parking lot. If the truck had crossed the road, it would have struck a wrought iron fence. A 20-foot drop to another parking lot is on the other side of the fence, he said.

Bush said the driver faces charges of child endangerment.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2395 or jcummings@DaytonDailyNews.com.