OTSEGO COUNTY (WWJ) - A Gaylord man is facing child abuse charges for taking his young son into the woods in freezing weather following an argument with his girlfriend on Wednesday evening, troopers in Northern Michigan said.
The man, 33-year-old Mark Douglas Mischley from Gaylord, and his 3-year-old son were discovered lying under a tree by Michigan State Police canine Chief and his partner, Trooper Deuman, after the incident was reported by Mischley's girlfriend shortly before 9 p.m. on Dec. 14.
According to troopers, the woman told 911 dispatchers that Mischley had taken his young son out of the house on Grouse Drive in Bagley Township following a disagreement. She told police the child was not appropriately dressed for the weather as temperatures fell below freezing.
"Additional troopers and an MSP Canine Team responded and quickly established a perimeter around the large, wooded area," MSP stated.
Chief and Tpr. Deuman, along with another trooper, were able to track the pair and eventually located them after a quarter mile.
"The child was not wearing any shoes and showed early signs of hypothermia," troopers said. "Tpr. Deuman placed the child in a warm patrol car."
The child was handed over to the care of his grandmother and Child Protective Services were notified of the incident.
The 33-year-old father was arrested without incident and taken to the Otsego County Jail. He was arraigned on Thursday for one count Child Abuse Third Degree where a judge gave him a $5,000 cash bond.
Mischley is due back in court on Dec. 22.