Deputies in Kootenai County arrested the father of a 2-year-old boy found dirty and shivering in the cold, standing in the middle of the road at 7:30 a.m. Monday.
Deputies were called to the 8600 block of Government way after people reported a young child without socks or shoes walking along the roadway. When deputies arrived they found the 2-year-old boy shivering, with a dirty face and cold to the touch in the 47-degree early morning temperature outside. The child said he tried to cross Government Way to see the "Tonka Trucks," referring to the construction equipment across the street.
Deputies found the young child's father, Castulo P. Costilla, passed out in a nearby apartment. Deputies say they woke Costilla up and he told them he was using meth, had been awake for two days, consumed "heavy amounts" of alcohol the night before and then smoked marijuana in the morning before falling asleep.
Deputies say they found meth in the apartment within reach of the small boy next to several toys.
Deputies say they also found Costilla had been in possession of a handgun which he had stored loaded under a bed without the consent of the apartment's owner.
Based on the investigation, Costilla was arrested and charged with Felony Injury to Child, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Illegal Possession of Prescription Medication, and possession of paraphernalia.
Deputies say Costilla is known by law enforcement and has a lengthy criminal history that includes two previous charges of Injury to a Child in 2011 and 2012.
He also has numerous probation violation convictions, felony drug charges and an arrest in 2014 for Domestic Battery. Costilla has also had previous felony charges out of California and Arizona.
Thanks to the citizen that reported seeing the child, and the Deputies’ quick response, the child is now safe and has been released to other family members.
(story: KHQ.com; photo: Kootenai County Sheriff's Office)