BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP -- A father is locked up in Bradford County after state police say he pushed his 6-year-old son out of a car and left him on a rural road.
Boyd Andrus, 42, was arrested Saturday after the child was found. When troopers found Andrus, they say he was naked in a field, holding his one-year-old son who was also naked.
Andrus* is behind bars in Bradford County where he faces charges ranging from aggravated assault to endangering the welfare of a child.
State police say Andrus was driving along Old Plank Road near Towanda Saturday morning with his 6-year-old and one-year-old sons when he suddenly stopped and pushed the 6 year old out of the vehicle.
Investigators say Andrus sped away, leaving his son alone behind on the rural road.
In the Kerry View mobile home park near Troy where Andrus lives with his wife Lorraine and the children, neighbors were stunned to hear what he’s accused of.
“It just seems really out of character for him because I’ve talked to him at length about his kids and about family and everything, and he seemed like a really good family man. It just seems really out of character for him,” said Alex Johns.
Shortly after being pushed from the car, police say the 6 year old walked to a house on that road and a resident there contacted state police.
When troopers located Andrus’s car, they say he was out of the car, walking through a field. They say he was naked, holding his one-year-old son, who was also naked. When he saw troopers, he began yelling “fire” at them.
Police say the one-year-old child was flown to Geisinger Medical Center near Danville in critical condition with a skull fracture.
“He’s still in Danville. I guess he’s doing better. He’s starting to eat and drink and stuff. The swelling has gone down on his head,” Johns said.
According to the criminal complaint, Andrus’ wife said she had concerns over his actions lately, saying he has not been eating or sleeping, but reading the Bible.
His wife said Andrus was fixated and talking about the end of the world and martial law.
“I’m very surprised, but what he did, there’s no excuse, you know what I mean? You can’t do that to the child,” said neighbor Barnade Suaco.
Andrus is being held on $750,000 bail.
* 8/31/16 - An earlier version of this story misspelled the suspect's last name as Andres. It also mistakenly gave his age as 27. Newswatch 16 regrets the errors and apologizes for any confusion.
