BOY, 9, KILLED RUNNING AWAY FROM FOSTER HOME.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

AGUA DULCE - A 9-year-old boy who spent much of his life in foster care was killed late Wednesday when he charged across a dark highway, running away from a group home in Agua Dulce, officials said Thursday.

Andre Booth was running from Sieger's Circle Ranch just before 7 p.m., followed by several other boys from the home who were urging him to come back, said Officer Doug Sweeney, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

``He packed up a backpack and said he was going to run away,'' Sweeney said. ``He'd only been gone a few minutes when he ran across Sierra Highway and was hit.''

Andre, who was in the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services, had gotten into trouble at school earlier in the day and apparently became upset when he was confronted about the issue later at the licensed group home, Sweeney said.

The boy then jumped over a fence surrounding the home, ran down the hillside, jumped over a another fence and darted into the road.

Andre was hit first by a northbound Mazda sedan driven by Jesus Corales, 23, of Palmdale. The impact threw Andre into the southbound lane, where he was hit by a red Nissan sedan that fled, CHP officials said.

No charges have filed against Corales and the driver of the second vehicle remained at-large late Thursday, officials said.

Officials with the county Department of Children and Family Services are investigating the incident and will report their findings to the county Inspector General's Office, which will conduct a separate, independent review, said Neil Rincover, a spokesman for the Children and Family Services Department.

``Certainly this is a case that will be reviewed intensely,'' Rincover said. ``Our group homes are not required to be behind barbed wire, but we'll be looking for anything that could have been done differently to prevent this from happening, as well as changes that could be made to prevent future accidents.''

According to officials, the dark-haired, green-eyed boy had experienced a troubled life that most cannot imagine.

``When he first got here, he wouldn't sleep in his bed because he was so scared,'' said Marge Sieger, 80, who founded the group home three decades ago. ``Later on I asked him why he didn't like his bed, and he said he was afraid rats would crawl on him because that's what happened when he lived on the street.''

Sieger added that Andre's mother was unable to care for him because she was addicted to drugs, and his father is in prison. However, she said, Andre's father was scheduled to be released from prison soon and was looking forward to taking Andre back.

``The saddest thing to me is the social worker was going to come here this week and tell Andre his father wanted him back,'' she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Though Andre was sometimes quiet and well-behaved, Sieger said he was also filled with intense anger.

``He'd screech and holler and carry on,'' she said. ``He was one of the most problematic boys I've had. But sometimes he was so darling.''

Andre attended Ocotillo Elementary School in Palmdale, where he was a student in a county-operated class for emotionally disturbed children, said Kathy Wehunt, principal of Ocotillo.

Andre's former foster father, Leroy Garner, is a teacher at Ocotillo and is still caring for Andre's brother, Brandon, a freshman at Palmdale High School, Wehunt said.

Garner was too distraught Thursday to talk about his former foster son.

Addie Stokes, the principal of Andre's special-education program, said two psychologists will work with students in Andre's class for as long as necessary to help them handle his death.

``It's really hit us hard here,'' Stokes said. ``For a 9-year-old, he'd really been through a lot, and you certainly never expect something like this to happen.''

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