A Worthington couple was arrested April 22 on felony charges of neglect of a dependent after their young child was found riding a bicycle, unattended, about a quarter mile from their home.

Indiana State Police Troopers K. Austin Fowler and Robert Martin arrested Julia Chavez Miller, 42, and Brandon Lee Miller, 39, on warrants issued the same day.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Trooper Fowler was dispatched to Worthington on April 13, where he met with Master Trooper Gary Goodman. Goodman had been driving southbound on State Road 67 when the vehicle in front of him abruptly braked. Goodman soon saw the reason: a young boy, under the age of five, riding a bicycle in the roadway.

Goodman stopped and spoke with the child, attempting to locate his parents. When Fowler arrived, approximately an hour had passed since Goodman had first found the child.

With assistance from a witness, troopers were able to determine the child’s address. When Fowler knocked on the door, Brandon Miller answered and immediately began yelling at the child, saying he was supposed to stay near the house. Fowler intervened, asking Miller to step into the driveway so they could speak privately.

Brandon confirmed the boy was his son and claimed he had seen the child inside the house about 10 minutes earlier. Fowler told him that was impossible, as the child had been with Goodman for over an hour. Brandon and Julia Miller then said they must have mistaken the child for one of their other children. They told Fowler they were about to sit the kids down for dinner and would have noticed the child missing at that point.

Due to the circumstances and the living conditions inside the home, Fowler contacted Child Protective Services.

The following day, Fowler received documentation from a nearby resident who reported seeing the same child ride away from the home unsupervised on multiple occasions. The resident also mentioned witnessing another child outside without adult supervision.

Both Julia and Brandon Miller are scheduled to appear for an initial hearing April 28 in Greene Superior Court.