A Florida man, John Bloodsworth, has been arrested for throwing his 5-year-old boy into the Atlantic Ocean, allegedly in an attempt to force the child to learn to swim.
The 37-year-old Daytona Beach man then proceeded to do backflips off the pier nearby, while his boy was struggling not to drown. The incident happened at night.
Former Georgia State Trooper Mitch Brown, who witnessed the whole thing, explained: “I said, ‘I can’t take this no more.’ So I went down to the pier, down to the shore and confronted him myself. I said, ‘You’re coming with me, one way or another.”
Brown added: “The little kid was out here by himself. Completely by himself. There was nobody around him, no adults.”
Responding officers arrested Bloodsworth on the spot, noting that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
Bloodsworth allegedly claimed that he was “going to jail for being awesome,” although that has not been confirmed by any official reports.
No lifeguards were reportedly present at the scene, and there was a significant risk of dangerous currents in the area.
Swimming in that particular zone was prohibited at the time, further adding to the risky nature of what the man had done.
And while the dad claims that he was not endangering the boy in any way by just teaching him to swim, authorities noted that the boy himself was in an apparent state of distress upon being rescued, crying and shaking.
Mr. Brown stated: “The kid was already very visibly upset and crying, and he didn’t want to be there”
Bloodsworth has been charged with aggravated child abuse, as well as disorderly intoxication on top of swimming too close to the pier. After the arrest, Bloodsworth was released on a $1,500 bail.
It is not known what kind of a sentence he is currently facing, and many have voiced their concerns about the young boy.
The exact family situation has not been revealed to the public, but observers are hopeful, the young child will have someone to take proper care of him if the father has to go to prison over the incident. Which, at this point, is looking very likely.
Authorities gave the boy to his mother after the arrest. Some say that in the old days children used to learn to swim that way and the dad probably meant no harm.
