A Florala boy gave his parents quite a scare after he went missing shortly before dark Thursday, Sheriff Dennis Meeks said Friday.

Meeks said 4-year-old Dustin Wilson was reported to have wandered away from his Pink Rose Lane residence off North Creek Road around 5 p.m.

“His mom said he had been playing in the yard with his dump trucks and she was helping her daughter with her homework,” he said. “She said she only took her eyes off of him five minutes and when she looked up, he was gone.

“She said she called for him for about 15 minutes before she notified us,” he said.

Meeks said several deputies and members of the Sheriff’s Reserve quickly “headed that way” and K-9 tracking dogs were called to the scene.

“Fortunately, Deputy Jerry Fields was close by when the call came in and was able to quickly respond to the residence,” he said. “About an hour after the call came in, Deputy Fields located the boy sitting on the porch of a residence about a mile away.

“He asked him his name, then his mother’s name and was able to confirm it was the missing boy,” he said. “We’re happy the incident ended well. That close to dark, we were very alarmed. The child was found safe and sound, and we’re thankful for that.”