Background: A section of Roy Rogers Road in Prairieville, La. (Google Maps). Inset: Joann Johnson (Ascension Parish Sheriff”s Office).
In a tragic incident in Louisiana, a babysitter is facing severe legal charges after a 3-year-old boy drowned in a backyard pool while under her supervision. Authorities claim the child was left unattended in the water for around 20 minutes before any action was taken.
Joann Johnson, aged 37, has been arrested and charged with negligent homicide, as confirmed by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. This heartbreaking case has brought to light the critical need for vigilant child care, particularly around potential hazards such as swimming pools.
The young victim has been identified as Ian Perez, according to Baton Rouge’s CBS affiliate, WAFB. This unfortunate event unfolded on May 18 in Prairieville, a community located roughly 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, where Johnson was reportedly running an in-home daycare service.
Authorities detailed that two children under Johnson’s care were playing near the pool without safety gear. Surveillance footage revealed that Ian fell into the water and drowned, with no immediate response from Johnson.
Disturbingly, the sheriff’s office noted that Ian remained submerged and unconscious for approximately 20 minutes before Johnson retrieved him from the pool. This delay in action has raised significant concerns about the supervision standards in place at the time.
“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.
