Sione Pulotu: Phoenix dad arrested after 7-month-old son drowned in bathtub as he played video games
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: A Phoenix father was arrested on Tuesday after it was claimed that he had left his young son in the bathtub to drown as he played video games. The incident took place in a house south of Broadway Road, close to 27th Avenue. Court records state that Sione Kafokuota Pulotu, 37, dialed 911 after discovering his 7-month-old son Leka face down in the bathtub.
According to court filings, the boy was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where doctors discovered he was brain dead, as per AZfamily. According to Pulotu, the boy's mother was at work when he was alone with the child. The other three children of the mother were at school. Similar tragedies happened in the past when 10-month-old Sara Moosa drowned in a bathtub after a plastic toy blocked the plughole while her mother stepped away. In another incident, a couple, 25-year-old Sabina Pierre Louis and her 54-year-old husband Eddy Pierre Louis was charged with second-degree manslaughter for neglect of a child in the drowning death of their 21-month-old son Asher Pierre Louis.
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Who is Sione Kafokuota Pulotu?
Sione Kafokuota Pulotu informed police that the boy's mother was at work when he was alone with the child. The other three children were in class. Pulotu was playing a video game with his son in the bedroom as the infant dozed off and on throughout most of the morning. Around 11.30 am, Pulotu saw Leka was a little sweaty and made the decision to give him a bath before heading to his mother-in-law's place. In his account to the police, he claimed to have placed the infant in an infant bathtub and topped it out with water to reach the child's chest. Later, according to the records, he went back to resume playing his video game.
Leka went silent
The boy's father claimed to have left a one-inch gap between the door and the frame so that he could look into the bathroom. In addition, he said that, while playing computer games for an additional 10 minutes on his bed, he heard the toddler splashing water, as per documents. Pulotu checked on Leka when he went silent and discovered that the boy had his entire face submerged in the water.
According to records, he claimed to have dialed 911 as soon as he discovered the boy, but police informed Pulotu that he actually dialed the number at least an hour later, at 1:15 pm, after he claimed to have put Leka in the baby bathtub. He admitted to authorities that he was aware that leaving a 7-month-old child unattended in a bathtub was risky.
'Drownings are a silent event'
It was emphasized by the Phoenix Fire Department that these drownings might occur anytime and anywhere. According to Phoenix Fire Captain Scott Douglas, "It only takes me a couple inches of water for a child to drown in." Captain Douglas emphasized the significance of parents being watchful when their child is around water, whether it be in a bathtub, pool, or lake, as temperatures are expected to rise this weekend and more people will be going to the water to remain cool. "Drownings are a silent event. They are an emergency we don’t hear about until it’s too late," he stated. Captain Douglas advised designating a water guard and never leaving a child unsupervised in the water. "That’s the person who is going to make sure they are refraining from any alcohol. We want to make sure that person is designated to specifically watch over those children," he added.
What charges is he being held for?
Pulotu was booked into jail on one charge of child abuse.
What punishment would he probably get if found guilty?
Child abuse is a Class 4 felony when it is committed with criminal negligence. If you are found guilty of a Class 4 Felony, you could face up to 4 years of probation, a maximum fine of $150,000, and 1-3.75 years in jail, as per AZ Defenders.