Near-drowning highlights ongoing message of pool safety for Brevard children, police say
Palm Bay Police are investigating the near-drowning of a 3-year-old boy at an apartment complex late Sunday.
It was the second incident involving a water mishap involving a child in a month and the second to take place at the same apartment complex pool. In the latest incident, the boy had been underwater for a short time and was pulled from the pool at Woodlake Village, according to police reports.
The near-drowning happened about 9:30 p.m. Sunday at the Woodlake apartment complex. Palm Bay police said that a 3-year-old child was under the supervision of adults during an evening gathering. The child, however, had removed pool floaties from his arms and went under, police said.
“There were several adults there,” said Lt. Jeff Spears, spokesperson for the Palm Bay Police Department, adding that there were no issues with safety measures taken by the complex for the pool. Spears said adults quickly responded.
“There won’t be any criminal charges in this case. The Department of Children and Families will conduct a follow-up,” Spears said.
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Fred Sutton, of Sutton Properties which owns Woodlake Village apartment homes, said that the complex's management is continuing a review of its procedures and lease agreements to be sure all safety measures are met.
The near-drowning comes nearly a month after a 2-year-old girl under the care of a babysitter drowned at Woodlake Village off of Palm Bay Road. In that case, police said the toddler wandered to the pool with an 8-year-old child and fell in the swimming pool.
Three other drownings involving youth under 17 have been reported in Brevard since January.
Police said the summertime is typically a time when pool safety and awareness is raised. “It’s very important,” Spears said, of the need for children to be supervised. “It can take a split second for something tragic to happen.”
J.D. Gallop is a Criminal Justice/Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Pool safety highlighted following near-drowning of child in Palm Bay
