A Mandan man faces child abuse and neglect charges after neighbors found a boy wandering around looking for a new place to live.

Thomas Sapin, 28, was charged Tuesday with the Class C felony.

Mandan Police Sgt. Jay Gruebele said a woman called police at 11 p.m. Monday to report a 6-year-old boy had shown up at her door, carrying a box of diapers, asking for a place to live. Before officers arrived, the boy had disappeared.

Other officers spotted the boy in a vehicle with a woman at Village Mart, 609 Sixth Ave. SE, and she said the boy, still carrying the box of diapers, also asked to live with her, Gruebele said.

Officers learned the boy's last name and found an address for his family. The mobile home on the 1200 block of Pioneer Trail appeared empty and was open, so the officers went inside. There, they found a 4-year-old girl home alone and in her bed, Gruebele said.

Aneighbor came in and told officers where the children's father was, and they located him. The father told officers there were ropes on the doors because the 6-year-old boy had a habit of wandering off.

The man, identified as Sapin, was arrested, and the children were released into the custody of their mother, Gruebele said.

- Jenny Michael