US:Toddler Found Wandering Drunk in the Middle of the Night.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/12/18/crimesider/entry5995978.shtml

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (CBS/AP) Drunk 4-year-old Hayden Wright made sure that Christmas came early this year!

The Tennessee boy was found wandering his Chatanooga neighborhood in the middle of the night, beer in hand, wearing a little girl's dress taken from under a neighbor's Christmas tree.

Hayden's mother, 21-year-old April Wright, woke up at 1:45 a.m. and panicked when she realized he was missing. She found Hayden, drunk, outside the house drinking a 12-ounce can of beer Tuesday.

He was taken to a hospital and treated for alcohol consumption.

"My biggest concern was him being out there, getting kidnapped, getting run over, the alcohol, having to have his stomach pumped," Wright told WTVC-TV in Chatanooga.

Hayden runs away "trying to find his father," Wright said. "He wants to get in trouble so he can go to jail because that's where his daddy is."

Wright's husband is currently behind bars, and she is in the process of divorcing him.

Hayden got the beer out of a cooler behind the house. Wright said that all the doors to her house are child-proof but Hayden broke a mechanism on one of the doorknobs to get out.

Hamilton County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Janice Atkinson says the incident is being investigated, but the department declined to release the report.

Investigators say Hayden sneaked into a neighbor's house through an unlocked door, and stole five Christmas gifts.

The boy's mother says she met with child protective services and was told she will get to keep custody of her son

WOW now that is a holiday story he will tell his kids lol

They were reporting that on the local news here since it's sort of nearby! I'm just curious how the kid was able to drink the beer. It's not exactly a kid-friendly (aka sweet) taste! And why would he steal a dress and wear it? How does a 4 yo have that much wherewithall to go to a neighbor's house and steal presents?! I hope he's ok and doesn't get himself into any more trouble! It's a sad story, really.

I'm just curious how the kid was able to drink the beer. It's not exactly a kid-friendly (aka sweet) taste!

I dunno, my parents had to watch me EVERY SINGLE MINUTE when I was about three, 'cause I was famous for swiping half-finished cans of beer off of various surfaces.  Ironic, since as an adult I can't stand the taste of beer.

I dunno, my parents had to watch me EVERY SINGLE MINUTE when I was about three, 'cause I was famous for swiping half-finished cans of beer off of various surfaces.  Ironic, since as an adult I can't stand the taste of beer.

My brother got accidentally drunk on half a can of lager once when he was 8! We'd had a housewarming party and mum opened a can of lager (we don't usually keep much alcohol in the house, so she was trying to use it some of it up) and then left about half of it in the living room to go and do the ironing. Next thing we know, my little brother is sitting in front of the TV with the can in his hand ! We weren't sure if/how much he'd had, but then he woke up in the middle of the night with a headache... so he learned his lesson really .

Poor kid will probably get locked up with his daddy by the time he is 18 if at 4 he is already drinking, breaking into houses, and cross dressing. Hopfully this is just a one time deal and his mother can keep beer out of his reach and get that kid some help before it's to late.

The child is 4 years old for goodness sake. There's no point in writing him off yet. Meg was swipping beer at the age of three and turned out just fine. 

I think the part that makes it hard for me to swallow (as in hard to believe this was just all the kid's doing) is the part about wearing the dress. I can see a kid swiping a beer, sneaking out of the house and even stealing the neighbor's presents. But I find it hard to believe that the kid would be wandering down the street in a girl's dress, beer in hand. I would think it would be more likely that he would be playing with stolen toys somewhere. I dunno, it just seems more likely to me that there was some good-for-nothing adult influence here & not just his jailed dad. This is really sad though. I hope things somehow get straightened out & this poor kid can have a better life than his father has apparently had.