A child was left in a backyard pool for about 20 minutes before help arrived, authorities say.
PRAIRIEVILLE, LA – A Louisiana babysitter is facing a negligent homicide charge after deputies say a 3-year-old boy drowned in a backyard pool while under her care, remaining unconscious in the water for approximately 20 minutes before she intervened. The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office identified the child as Ian Perez and said the incident happened during the afternoon of May 18 at an in-home daycare on Roy Rogers Road.
Deputies said Joann Johnson, 37, was supervising multiple children at the residence when two young children were “playing near a swimming pool in the backyard of the residence without any safety wear,” according to a statement citing surveillance video. At some point, Ian fell into the pool and drowned.
Surveillance video and timeline details
“He remained unconscious in the pool for approximately 20 minutes before Johnson was observed retrieving the 3-year-old,” deputies said. Emergency services were called around 3:50 p.m., and first responders attempted to resuscitate the child before he was airlifted to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
According to Donovan Jackson, public information officer with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, the daycare was not licensed. He said the timeline captured on video was central to the charge.
“One of the hardest parts of watching that video is seeing little Ian struggle for his life for several minutes,” Jackson said. “And the second hardest part of watching this is seeing him in that pool about 20 minutes after he had drowned. For over 20 minutes, there was no supervision.”
Negligence determination and arrest
Jackson added that while brief lapses can occur, the length of time in this case pointed to criminal negligence. “We understand that accidents happen,” he said. “You may lose sight of them for a minute or two, maybe five minutes, but for over 20 minutes, that is a problem, and that is clear negligence.”
Authorities obtained a warrant for Johnson’s arrest. Deputies said she turned herself in on Wednesday and was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail.
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