photo courtesy of WFXG
Georgia prosecutors have charged swimming instructor Lexie Tenhuisen with one count of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the death of a four-year-old this past June. Israel Scott drowned while taking swimming lessons with Tenhuisen six months ago, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation statement.
DA Jared T. Williams said, “Izzy Scott is not a case. He is not a file on a desk nor an article in the news. He is a child whose loss has broken the heart of our community. He is a symbol of how we should cherish our little ones and hold them tight,” He continued to acknowledge that many were seeking a heavier sentence for Tenhuisen in the statement, “The truth is this: nothing done in a courtroom can ever repair the harm done to Izzy’s family,” Williams acknowledged. “Many have called for felony charges and a lengthy prison sentence for this offense. Neither the law nor the facts support such a result. After discussing this decision, both the family and the State of Georgia are in lockstep that the aim of this prosecution is not retribution, but Accountability under the law.”
Williams told the public that the decision to charge the instructor for Israel’s death was made on the basis that Tenhuisen had committed a criminal offense since she was entrusted to care for the young boy. He explained, “Why should a child so innocent, so precious, leave us so young? How could the law be so insufficient, placing no safeguards over the very people who are entrusted as lifeguards over our children?” said Williams, “As I have struggled with these questions, I recognize that I can neither question God’s timing nor expect to understand His providence. What I can do is use the law to create the change this community wishes to see.”
Little Israel died on June 14 during a private swimming lesson led by Tenhuisen. The negligent instructor specifically told his mother that she couldn’t sit in on the lesson. Tenhuisen admitted to losing track of Israel for ten minutes before he was found floating unresponsive in the pool and, at the time, did not apologize or accept responsibility in front of the grieving family, as per a NewsOnyx report.