Grandmother arrested in Summerville child drowning situation

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – Summerville Police Department Captain Chris Hirsch says on July 8, they responded to a call of a person floating in a retention pond in a local neighborhood and when they arrived, they realized it was a young child.”

“It was about 5:30 in the evening,” Hirsch said. “We received some 9-1-1 calls in reference to what appeared to be a body floating in a retention pond in Central Commons.”

Officers arrived on scene, noticed the person in the pond was a juvenile, then jumped in and pulled the child out of the water.

“Began lifesaving measures on the child,” Hirsch said. “The child was then transported to a local hospital.”

The two-year-old boy was pronounced dead.

Hirsch says after Summerville Police conducted an investigation of the drowning situation, one person was arrested Friday, and charged.

“We determined that probable cause existed to arrest the grandmother of the child and she was charged with one count of unlawful conduct toward a child,” he said.

Sixty-three-year-old Faith Robinson is currently being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center.

Officials say they learned from interviews with the family that the boy had a history of walking out of the home, and Robinson had knowledge of that history.

According to reports, Robinson left the home when the two-year-old was in the living room with the front door still unlocked.

Reports state the home’s Ring doorbell camera shows the boy walk out of the unlocked front door and toward the front of the community.

Police say when Robinson came back into the home, she noticed the child was gone and assumed he had went upstairs. Nearly 30 minutes later, police called the family and told them the two-year-old boy had been found dead.

“This is a sad situation all the way around,” Hirsch said. “It’s sad for the family. It’s sad for the dispatchers, for law enforcement and for the individuals who were witness to this and who called 911. Nothing good comes out of this.”

Officials say if found guilty, Robinson could face up to 10 years behind bars.