Alaska State Troopers were alerted by employees of the Speedway Gas Station at 7200 Parks Highway at 12:05 am that a small child had walked into the gas station and informed them that he had been kicked out and the door locked behind him a short time prior.

Troopers arrived at the gas station and talked to the young boy who told troopers that the family had gotten into an accident and crashed into the ditch earlier. After the crash, 30-year-old Candice Harris walked home with the boy, leaving the vehicle behind.

A short time later, a disturbance broke out in the home and Candice left the residence. According to troopers, the young boy was kicked out of the house by Aaron Mells, age  38, and the door locked behind him, troopers reported. Temperatures in the area were well below freezing at the time.

After being locked out and abandoned in the cold, the boy elected to walk to the Speedway Gas Station approximately a mile away.

The child was able to guide troopers to his residence where AST made contact with Mells and took him into custody on charges of Assault 4 (DV) and Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the first degree. He was transported to Mat-Su Pretrial and remanded without bail.

Harris was also arrested. She was charged with Driving Under the Influence and two counts of Endangering the welfare of a child. Her bail was set at $500.

  aaron mells, accident, Alaska, boy, candice harris, child, child endangerment, cold, dui, speedway, wasilla