Maryland ? A prison work crew baby-sat a 2 1/2-year-old boy who was spotted Friday running along the center lines of a rural Maryland highway, with trucks loaded with gravel rumbling by, police and correctional officials said.

The six minimum-security inmates shared their lunches with the toddler, who apparently wandered away from home, and played with him while authorities located the parents and investigated, said Correctional Officer Gary Kershner, who was overseeing the prisoners.

“Me and my inmate crew, we just kind of baby-sat for the next three hours,” Kershner said. “They were as much entertained by the child as he was by them.”

Troopers eventually found the boy’s home nearby. He said the child was reunited with his family after Child Protective Services investigated and found no immediate cause to suspect abuse or neglect.