'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABgAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACBAAAQMDBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAAFIQYREhMUFiIBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQRAQACAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAREiFBgf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Aq7S2mLY37hFWy0pvylyI4COPTyaS6EDOUhQOMYO1UTbIzAtsIJ7EgRmsBZ2HyKUpc1iaF0PRvBW11zI8oRfh5n//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Swimming instructor Lexie Tenhuisen is facing criminal charges after 4-year-old Israel Scott drowned in a swimming pool on June 14, 2022, under her supervision. According to the Daily Mail, the instructor had approximately 50 years of experience. Israel’s mother, Dori, is currently campaigning for the improvement of rules around children’s swimming lessons.
Tenhuisen, however, claimed that she had asked all the children to get out of the pool before leaving the area. Dori mentioned that she was heartbroken, and yet she did not receive an apology from Lexie. Officials mentioned that there was a lack of evidence, and hence they could not prosecute the swimming instructor.
According to authorities, an arrest warrant has been issued for the swimming instructor on one count of involuntary manslaughter.
Charges pressed against the swim instructor after 4-year-old Israel Scott's drowning incident
On June 14, 2022, 4-year-old Georgia boy Israel “Izzy” Scott died after drowning in a swimming pool at a private home in Hephzibah. After Israel showed interest in swimming, Dori decided to book him for classes. She found Lexie on Facebook.
Dori spoke about her son’s anxiety and nervousness about taking the lessons. She further added,
“I told him he had a swim lesson and he said ‘I don’t wanna go’- but was in a happy mood. He asked ‘but what if I drown’ and I said ‘you’re not going to drown, silly’ and laughed it off.”
Dori Scott mentioned that she was asked to leave the pool area by the instructor, who told her to wait in her car. The heartbroken mother was approached by another parent while she was waiting for Israel Scott. She said,
“I waited in my car and got a knock on my window [from a parent] saying ‘come get your baby.’ It wasn’t time- they still had about six minutes left. I looked at her again and saw tears in her eyes. That’s when I started screaming because I figured something was wrong.”
The mother arrived at the pool area and found her son on one side of the pool. She also found the authorities administering CPR on 4-year-old Israel Scott. Dori added that she knew he had been underwater for a long time because there was no heartbeat and Izzy was foaming at the mouth.
Dori has a son named Noah, 3, and a daughter named Paris, 12. Izzy was the middle child. The Georgia mother said that Izzy was taken to the hospital, but soon after that he was declared dead. She complained of not even receiving an apology from the swim instructor.
When Dori asked Lexie about the condition of Israel Scott, she reportedly said,
“I don't know. I told the kids to get out of the pool. I don't know.”
She has described that incident as her “worst nightmare” and that the incident was “unbelievable and shocking,”
While Lexie told the authorities that she ensured that every child got out of the pool before she left the area; another student named Mason Washington mentioned that he saw Izzy leave the pool before him, but soon after that he heard another splash in the water. Washington claimed that Israel Scott had possibly jumped off the diving board, however, he had not seen him do the same.
The Burke County DA’s Office informs that arrest warrant has been issued in Lexie’s name
Authorities declined to prosecute the swim instructor due to a lack of solid evidence. DA Jared T. Williams decided to press charges against Lexie. The Burke County District Attorney’s Office also said that an arrest warrant has been issued in her name. In a statement given to Law&Crime, the District Attorney 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.”
The DA further added,
“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.”
Neither the residence nor the pool where Israel Scott died belonged to Lexie. The decision taken by the DA’s office has been appreciated by Izzy’s mother, Dori Scott. Remembering her 4-year-old deceased son Israel Scott, Dori further stated:
“All three of my kids are different, not having his [Israel Scott] little, caring energy around is — even our car rides are different. We’re sitting in the car and everybody’s just quiet because everybody feels that void.”
She has also been campaigning to change the regulations near swimming pools, especially when children are getting their lessons. DA Williams declined to comment any further on the case due to the ongoing litigation matter.
