Homeless ex-con rescues lost 6-year-old boy in Miami

Arnett Johnson, a homeless man who has slept on a bench in Allapattah, found a 6-year-old boy wandering alone just before midnight, called police and waited with him until officers arrived; the boy was later identified and his mother was charged with child neglect.

A homeless man who has slept on the same bench in Miami's Allapattah neighborhood since his release from prison six months ago noticed a young boy walking alone just before midnight on Wednesday. He checked the area, determined the child was alone, called police and stayed with the boy until officers arrived. Miami police praised the man for intervening and keeping the child out of harm's way. Known details: - The man is identified as Arnett Johnson, who said he noticed the boy late Wednesday night and called police after confirming no adults were nearby. - Officers reported the child told them, "Mommy drop me off and left me," and noted the boy has delayed speech, which made identification difficult at the scene. - A school officer later recognized the child from a "need to identify" flyer and alerted the Miami Police Department, which led to a positive identification. - A witness told police she had been housing the child's mother, 30-year-old Annie Rivera, and noticed Rivera and the boy were missing that night; Rivera returned by early morning and was taken into custody hours later. - Rivera was charged with child neglect without bodily harm, and the boy was placed with the Florida Department of Children and Families. Summary: A homeless man's decision to wait with a lost 6-year-old until police arrived is credited by officers with keeping the child safe. The child was identified the next day, the mother was charged with child neglect, and the child was placed with the Florida Department of Children and Families; further procedural details were not described.