Corrections officer saves toddler from drowning

A corrections officer saved a toddler’s life Tuesday morning after he nearly drowned at the Council Park pond in Somerton.

According to the Somerton Police Department, an Arizona Department of Corrections (AZDOC) officer was supervising an inmate work crew when they saw a woman yelling for help near the pond’s edge. The corrections officer ran and found a toddler unresponsive and not breathing. After performing CPR, the officer was able to bring the 18-month-old toddler back to consciousness and began breathing on his own.

An investigation revealed that the child was under the care of his aunt at the time of the incident. The aunt, a 45-year-old Somerton resident, left the child in a stroller while she visited the park’s restroom. Police said the child managed to get out of the stroller and made his way to the water’s edge where he fell into the water. When she exited the restroom, the aunt had found the toddler floating in the pond. The aunt removed the child from the pond.

The child was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center where he is in stable condition.

An investigation is currently underway.