By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A Salisbury man faces misdemeanor child abuse charges after his 7-year-old daughter was found walking on the roadside by a stranger.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office also charged Ray Lee Martin Jr., 37, of the 100 block of Lazy Lane, with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance Schedule IV.

Officials said a man driving on Joe Lentz Road, near St. Matthews Church Road on Sunday spotted a little girl walking. He put her in his truck, called 911 and drove to Liberty Fire Department.

The Fire Department was able to obtain information about the girl’s nearest relative and called her grandfather, who came to pick her up.

The grandfather returned to his house and a Rowan County deputy arrived soon after.

When the deputy spoke to the girl’s father, Ray Martin Jr., he noticed the man was staggering. He told the deputy he had been working on a car.

The deputy searched Martin and found a cigarette pack in his back pocket. The pack contained one and a half blue pills that were determined to be alprazolam, a tranquilizer.

Martin was issued a $2,500 secured bond and has since been released from the Rowan County Detention Center.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.