Daniel and Lacey Rawlings: Arizona duo spared jail after 3 kids drowned in creek joyride
An Arizona couple has been spared jail time only because of their children's testimony, a judge noted on January 28, 2022. Daniel and Lacey Rawlings were instead sentenced to probation, after pleading guilty to manslaughter and child abuse charges, stemming from a 2019 incident at Tonto Creek were three of the seven children the couple were with drowned.
It is believed the Rawlings ignored warning signs at the creek, as several families have in the past. In August 2019, three siblings drowned at the Sylvan Beach in La Porte, Texas after swimming past the safety buoys. In July 2020, activists began a campaign to ban swimming at Lake Piru following the death of actress Naya Rivera and her son. In June 2021, five people were killed after a family went tubing in North Carolina, past a warning sign for the Duke Dam.
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Reports say the Rawlings ignored warning signs and barricades and decided to drive the military-style vehicle into the creek in 2019, which led to the vehicle sinking. The couple, along with four children managed to escape, but tragically three children including a nephew were swept away by the current and died.
'Joyride' kills three kids
The tragedy occurred on November 29, days after heavy rainfall hit the area. That led to the flooding of the Bar X crossing, which is otherwise widely used. Authorities placed warnings and barricades over the crossing, which the Rawlings ignored. Daniel drove the vehicle through the crossing twice before, but on the third attempt, the vehicle was swept up in the rushing water. As a result, the Rawlings' two children - five-year-old Colby and six-year-old Willa, and a five-year-old nephew (Austin) died.
The surviving four children and the couple were rescued by helicopter, and immediately the two were charged with seven counts of child abuse - one for each child in the vehicle. Daniel was also slapped with an additional three counts of involuntary manslaughter. In December 2021, Daniel pleaded guilty to all charges, while Lacey pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse.
"It is a mistake I agonize over every minute, and I will continue to agonize over it for the rest of my life," a tearful Lacey said during sentencing on January 28. Daniel also weighed in, saying, "I wish every day that I could go back and relive and redo the events of that horrific day. Knowing I was the single cause of the reason." Lacey said that the fatal third joyride came because the kids asked for it and claimed that her son wanted to enter the water.
Several family members, including two of the Rawlings' surviving children, urged the judge for leniency on their behalf. Reportedly, 12-year-old Nelly and her 13-year-old brother Dallan "begged the judge" to let their parents come home. The judge said that testimony, along with community support is what led to him sparing them from jail. "These defendants failed their children. They failed to protect them, they failed to be adults who said no," the judge noted.
Instead of jail, Daniel was sentenced to 60 months of probation with community service, and Lacey to 48 months with community service. Their probation begins with immediate effect, and any violations would result in jail time. The verdict was reportedly cheered and applauded, as dozens of supporters also stood outside with balloons. Reportedly, had they not pleaded guilty, the pair would have faced trial at the Gila County Superior Court in March, where they would have been slapped with mandatory prison sentences if convicted.