Background: A section of Roy Rogers Road in Prairieville, La. (Google Maps). Inset: Joann Johnson (Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office).
A babysitter in Louisiana let a 3-year-old boy drown in a backyard pool and lay unconscious in the water for 20 minutes before she did anything, authorities say.
Joann Johnson, 37, has been charged with negligent homicide, the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office announced.
The victim was identified by authorities as Ian Perez, per Baton Rouge CBS affiliate WAFB.
It was the afternoon of May 18, and Johnson was "operating an in-home daycare" on Roy Rogers Road in Prairieville, Louisiana, deputies said. The census-designated area is about 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, the state capital.
Two young children "who were in Johnson's care" were "playing near a swimming pool in the backyard of the residence without any safety wear," the sheriff's office stated, citing surveillance video. At some point, Ian "fell into the pool and subsequently drowned."
"He remained unconscious in the pool for approximately 20 minutes before Johnson was observed retrieving the 3-year-old," deputies continued.
Someone called 911 at about 3:50 p.m. that day, and deputies and first responders drove to the scene. Though they tried to resuscitate the boy and flew him to a hospital, he was later pronounced dead.
According to Donovan Jackson, public information officer with the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office, the daycare Johnson was running was not licensed, and the length of time the child struggled in the water suggests negligence on her part.
"One of the hardest parts of watching that video is seeing little Ian struggle for his life for several minutes," Jackson said, per the local outlet. "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."
"We understand that accidents happen," he added. "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 secured an arrest warrant for Johnson, and they say she turned herself in on Wednesday. She was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail.
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