Couple accused of leaving boy, 5, in woods

ST. PETER, MINN. » A man and woman in southern Minnesota are accused of dropping off a 5-year-old boy in the woods as punishment for wetting himself.

Lynda Michel, 42, and Gregory Wilson, 32, were charged Friday in Nicollet County District Court with child neglect. Authorities say the boy is Wilson’s biological son and that Michel lives with him and the child.

The boy was found Aug. 28 walking along a highway south of St. Peter, authorities say. He was crying and wet from rain when a motorist spotted him. He told police he had been dropped off by his “mom and dad” because he had been “naughty.” The boy also had bruises.

A man who was in the vehicle with the couple and the boy told police the man tried to talk the couple out of leaving the boy.

The couple told authorities they turned around after a short distance but couldn’t find him. Police found the couple searching for the child.