Modesto parents arrested after toddler found ‘driving,’ 4-year-old found alone in street

Two parents were arrested over the weekend in separate incidents of suspected child endangerment, according to Modesto police.

The first was reported Saturday evening by several witnesses who saw a young boy sitting in the lap of a man driving on West Orangeburg Avenue, said spokeswoman Heather Graves.

Officers found the car parked near Orangeburg and Briggsmore avenues about 8:45 p.m. The driver, 24-year-old Adrian Banuelos, was near the car with his 3-year-old son.

Graves said Banuelos initially denied the claims made by witnesses but later told officers his son was on his lap because he “likes the feeling of driving.”

Banuelos was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and driving without a license. The child was released to the custody of his mother.

About five hours later, a couple were driving on Brighton Avenue when a little girl ran in front of their car from the direction of Downey Park, Graves said.

The driver stopped to avoid hitting the child and pulled over. The 4-year-old girl was barefoot and wearing pajamas.

The girl told the couple where she lived, so they took her to the home and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Graves said the little girl told the couple she was hungry, so they took her to McDonald’s.

Meanwhile, about 2:15 a.m., the girl’s mother called 911 to report her missing.

She told officers she’d left home about 30 minutes prior to “meet a friend” nearby and left her daughter inside the home, Graves said.

Officers suspected the woman, 24-year-old Tessa Johnson, might have been under the influence, but she was not arrested on any drug- or alcohol-related charges.

Johnson was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment after the couple who found the girl returned to the home while officers were there taking a report.

Child Protective Services reported to the scene, but the little girl was left in the custody of Johnson’s boyfriend, Graves said.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Modesto parents arrested after toddler found ‘driving,’ 4-year-old found alone in street."