An alleged drunken driver abandoned a toddler in below-freezing weather and ran from police after crashing his car in Villa Rica following an argument with the boy’s mother Wednesday evening.

Carroll County Sheriff’s Capt. Shane Taylor said Jason Jenkins, 27, of Temple was arrested and charged with cruelty to children, reckless conduct, battery, obstruction, and numerous traffic violations by the Georgia State Patrol including DUI and child endangerment.

Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Four Notch Road after someone called to report a woman had been thrown out of a car onto the side of the road about 5:40 p.m.

When deputies arrived they reported finding an intoxicated woman who had minor abrasions on her leg. Authorities said the woman told deputies that Jenkins had pushed her out of the Saturn sedan he was driving and drove away with her 3-year-old son.

The couple, according to authorities, was visiting a home on the street before an argument ensued and the woman was possibly pushed from the car.

While deputies were trying to obtain more information from the mother on Four Notch Road near Carrollton, a man living on Rainey Road near the intersection of Barbette Street called 911 after witnessing a car crash.

Taylor said Jenkins had driven intoxicated more than 15 miles across the county before he was involved in a single-car crash.

The concerned neighbor saw the man dash from the car before leaving the toddler alone in a field while temperatures dipped below freezing, according to deputies.

Taylor said the neighbor grabbed the boy to bring him inside from the cold. The boy, who was not injured in the wreck, had not been properly restrained in a child safety seat, according to authorities.

While deputies and the State Patrol searched the area along Rainey Road, Taylor said Jenkins walked out from the woods and was handcuffed.

Just as deputies were about to place him in a patrol car, Taylor said Jenkins broke free and tried to run while still wearing the handcuffs.

After a short sprint, authorities said Jenkins was recaptured and brought to the Carroll County jail.

The toddler was initially brought to the Sheriff’s Office before the Department of Family and Children’s Services placed him in the custody of other family members.

Jenkins sustained minor injuries to his face and forehead from the crash, and authorities said he was driving without a license at the time.

“Thankfully the child had not been hurt from the wreck since the boy was not in a car seat when the car went off the road,” Taylor said. “We are also thankful that this was not a true kidnapping as the initial information we received indicated that it could have been.”