Rock Hill father charged after son found playing in road twice

A Rock Hill man was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child after he was found sleeping in his home while his son was outside playing in the road for the second time in two days, according to Rock Hill Police.

An officer received a report about a boy in the roadway of Frayser Street on Saturday and saw the boy playing with a toy car in front of the house, according to a police report. The same officer responded to the “same issue” involving the “same juvenile” on Friday.

The boy’s father, Richard Henry Austin III, 30, told officers he was asleep inside the home while the boy was outside playing. He said the boy is “disabled due to having seizures when he was very young, which causes him to be very active,” the report states.

Austin said the boy “wakes up very early and goes outside to play” when everyone else is asleep, police said. Officers informed Austin of the statute for unlawful conduct toward a child after the first incident on Friday, and told him he would be charged if it happened again.

Austin was, again, asleep in the home on Saturday, police said. He told officers he was unaware the boy was outside, and said he “has trouble taking care of” the boy due to his disabilities.

Austin was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child and placed in the Rock Hill city jail. He was released Sunday on $4,000 bond.

Officers also took custody of the boy, then turned him over to his mother when she arrived at police headquarters.

This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Rock Hill father charged after son found playing in road twice."