Man abandons 3-year-old son in nearly freezing weather to avoid officer due to warrant

Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald

Missing cell phone leads to child abuse complaint

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

SAFFORD – A man who abandoned his 3-year-old son in nearly freezing weather to avoid being arrested on a local warrant if now facing possible child abuse charges. 

John Adrian Lopez, 40, of Thatcher, had an outstanding warrant for false reporting to law enforcement when he fled from an officer on Wednesday, Dec. 18, leaving his 3-year-old son in a truck parked on the street in 35-degree weather. Coincidentally, the warrant that presumably caused Lopez to flee and abandon his child was quashed the same day correcting an invalid disposition, according to online court records. 

The officer had responded to the area where the truck was parked after a mother in Thatcher reported that her son’s cell phone had gone missing and that a man named “Juan” was in the area when the cell phone disappeared. She said she called the missing cell phone and a little boy answered and said he was alone and didn’t know where his mom or dad was. Concerned for the child’s safety, she had her wireless carrier ping the cell phone’s location and then informed authorities of the situation. 

As the officer approached the location, he saw a gold Chevy truck parked outside the residence. Upon arrival, Lopez exited the truck and fled into the house. 

The officer reported ringing the home’s doorbell and knocking for about five minutes with no answer before heading over to the truck, where he found the 3-year-old boy shivering in the truck by himself. 

The officer placed the boy into his heated patrol vehicle and a teenage girl exited the house and attempted to retrieve the boy. The officer advised that he would not release the boy to anyone other than his father, which the boy described as being the one who ran into the house from the truck and was positively identified as Lopez. 

Eventually, police officers were allowed to enter the home to search for Lopez, but an adult resident advised he ran out of the backdoor. An investigator was then given a cell phone and Lopez was on the other end. He refused to turn himself in but told the officers to leave his child at the house. 

The officers then took the child back to the Safford Police Department and called the Department of Child Services after learning the child’s mother, Brittania Ruth Lopez, 32, was currently incarcerated after being picked up Dec. 10 on a failure to appear warrant relating to a drug paraphernalia charge. 

After reviewing prior police and DCS reports, the officers learned that the child’s grandmother was listed in court documents as his primary caregiver when Britannia is incapable. The grandmother was called and the child was reportedly “very happy” to see her when she arrived and asked if they could go home now. The grandmother advised that she is attempting to gain full custody of the child and the pair left the police station. 

Afterward, DCS advised that they investigated both John Lopez and Brittania Lopez in January and found that both parties are addicted to methamphetamine and provide a hazardous environment for their children. 

The officer then forwarded his report to the Graham County Attorney’s Office for review and possible charges of child abuse against John Lopez.