Man Arrested After Calling Police About Missing Child at Supermarket Only To Realize He Left Kid at Home

A Connecticut father, who reported his child missing after a supermarket visit, was arrested Monday after cops found he was intoxicated and had in fact left the child at home.

Colby Parker, 30, called police at around 8:18 p.m. to report his child missing from his car parked outside Price Chopper in Tolland, just north-east of Hartford.

He said he had gone into the store and left the child in his vehicle, but they were missing on his return. That sparked a mass-search involving Connecticut State Police Troopers, supermarket staff and local police departments.

K-9 teams arrived on the scene and local residents were alerted, while other staff from the supermarket reviewed CCTV footage. At this point, they discovered Parker had made two trips to the store that evening.

On the first visit, he was accompanied by a child, but the second time around it was just Parker.

At around 9:12 p.m., troopers arrived at the child's home and found them there, safe and well.

Officers asked Parker to participate in Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which were "not performed to standard," according to the CSP press release.

"Further investigation revealed that Parker was unaware that the child had not traveled with him to the store on the second trip," the statement added.

The child was handed over to a family member, while Parker was arrested and later charged. He faces four alleged offenses:

CSP thanked the other local agencies and the supermarket employees who helped to bring the case to "a successful conclusion."