NEWPORT — Chief Travis Bingham reports that the Newport Police Department has charged the grandfather of a three-year-old boy who was found unresponsive in a pool earlier this month.
KEVIN WEST, AGE 46, OF NEWPORT has been issued a court summons on a charge of Cruelty to a Child.
On Tuesday, July 5, Newport Police learned of a near-drowning that occurred earlier in the day at a home on Sias Avenue. A three-year-old boy had been found unresponsive in the water and was taken to a nearby hospital by a family member.
Through a subsequent investigation, Newport Police determined that WEST had been responsible for supervising the child at the time of the incident and allegedly fell asleep while sitting near the pool where the child was found. Newport Police determined that the child had been playing near the side of the pool when he fell in, and had been in the water for several minutes before other family members returned home.
The child is currently alert and responsive and is recovering at a medical facility in Boston.
WEST will appear in court at a later date.
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