Bethel Twp. Fire Chief Jacob King asked the public to check their properties, including sheds, barns or other out-houses for the boy. King also said Perry likes to climb trees and asked residents to check to make sure he wasn’t hiding in them.
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“He is an avid, strong young man,” King said. “He likes to be outside. He doesn’t mind being out in the fields or wooded areas.”
Perry is described as small for his age. It’s believed he doesn’t have on a shirt or shoes.
It’s not the first time the boy has run away from home, Maj. Andy Reynolds with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said. However the previous times the boy was found within hours.
Reynolds also confirmed that Beller is the son of a deputy. King said the boy has a disability that might have provoked him to run away called oppositional defiant disorder. ODD is a mental impairment that affects children, generally in their adolescence, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Though it’s common for children to act out while growing up, children with ODD displays a pattern of uncooperative and hostile behavior toward authority figures that seriously interferes with the youngster’s day to day functioning, according to the organization.
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King stressed that Perry is comfortable outdoors and might have been able to travel a far distance on Thursday.
Once the boy is found, authorities plan to give him a medical examination to ensure he wasn’t seriously injured when he was away and then said they plan to figure out a strategy to stop future occurrences.
The fire chief said anyone who lives in the areas of North Hampton, New Carlisle and Christiansburg are urged to be on the lookout for the boy.
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