State Closes Day Care After Boy Wanders off to Hooters

Jeff Rasansky

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 520

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A North Texas daycare center has been shut down by the state this week. The event that precipitated this was quite astonishing to say the least. A five year old boy somehow managed to walk out of an open door there, crossing a busy street, and was discovered later at an unlikely location:

A Hooters restaurant.

Imagination Station in Denton was ordered to cease operation on Wednesday. Deborah Pugh, who owns the child-care center, could not be reached for comment.

According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services web site, the center was cited for an incident earlier this year that involved another case of lack of supervision.

Security video from a Pep Boys auto parts store and a Race Trac convenience store show the boy entering both locations and taking a pack of gum. He took a root beer from the Race Trac and then walked westward to Hooters. The child stayed inside briefly and then left. Employees of the Hooters found the child outside on a service road for highway I-35E.

This is a very serious situation of child neglect. What if he had attempted to cross the highway? What if he were abducted from either location? If this had happened to your child, what would you do?