Cherokee County man Jason Cole accused of neglecting son during drug binge

Authorities have arrested the father of an 11-year-old who disappeared last week.

On Monday, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office requested help finding Elijah Cole. The boy was last seen being picked up from Sixes Elementary School by a family friend, Will Copes.

The next moing, Copes, 19, told investigators he dropped off the boy and his father, Jason Cole, in Pickens County. Deputies said they found the pair, and the elder Cole tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine.

Deputies said Cole, 43, was on a drug binge when he and his son spent days hopping from house to house. During that time, the boy missed school and was not properly fed, deputies said.

Cole faces drug charges, along with first-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct. He is being held at the Cherokee Adult Detention Center on a $43,000 bond. His son has been taken into state custody.