An Ypsilanti, Mich., woman is accused of leaving her 6-year-old son on the side of a New York road after an argument with the boy.

An Erie County, N.Y., Sheriff's Department deputy was patrolling Grand Island Boulevard in Grand Island, N.Y., at about 6 p.m. Sunday when he discovered a young boy running alone down the side of a busy highway, according to the sheriff's department. The child was crying and visibly upset, and was being followed by two concerned citizens, the sheriff's department said.

The deputy was able to locate the child's mother, Judith A. Andrews, 55, who had been visiting the area with her son, Detroit TV station WDIV reported. Andrews told the deputy that she had stopped her vehicle in a parking lot, and had driven off. She said she thought her son was still in the back seat.

Witnesses who had followed the boy said they had seen the mother arguing with the child outside the vehicle. They said the mother returned to her car and left her boy to run behind the car.

Andrews was arrested Sunday night. She was arraigned Monday on charges of child endangerment, according to the sheriff's department. She is being held on a $15,000 bond.

The boy has temporarily been placed under the care of child protective services.