A Florida father is facing felony child-abuse charges after allegedly dumping his infant and toddler into gator-infested swamp water while drunkenly fleeing a crash scene with police in pursuit.
Isaac Kinsey, 27, crashed through a road-closure sign into a construction zone in Lakeland in the early hours of Wednesday morning with his two children, ages 2 and 10 months, riding with him, according to a social media post from the Lakeland Police Department. He then bolted from the wrecked vehicle and ran into nearby marshland carrying both kids.
Officers responding to the crash spotted two child safety seats inside the abandoned car and immediately launched a search. Bodycam and drone footage released by the department shows the tense chase that followed, with Kinsey stumbling repeatedly through dense, swampy woods in total darkness. The region is known to harbor alligators.
The drone captured Kinsey falling multiple times as he tried to navigate the difficult terrain, and his stumbles caused him to drop both the baby and the toddler into standing water, the footage shows.
“Where are you? Come out this way, come out this way!” one officer yelled, aiming a flashlight toward Kinsey as he waded through the marsh.
“Give me the baby! Give me the baby now!” the officer told Kinsey before reaching out and grabbing one of the crying children.
Police eventually took Kinsey into custody and rescued both children. All three were transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. Kinsey allegedly admitted to officers that he was intoxicated and that his driver license was suspended at the time of the crash.
He now faces eight misdemeanor charges and three felony charges, including two counts of negligent child abuse with great bodily harm, authorities said.
“This incident could have ended with the loss of two innocent lives,” the department wrote in its statement. “The rapid deployment of LakelandPD’s drone technology, along with the persistence and teamwork of responding officers, helped locate the children in an extremely difficult environment and get them the care they needed.”
The department added: “There is no excuse for impaired driving. We are thankful these children survived and proud of the officers whose actions helped prevent an even greater tragedy.”
Kinsey remains in custody as his case proceeds through the Polk County court system.