Four young children were left alone 14 hours before a 3-year-old boy got into an above-ground swimming pool outside the family’s Bartow County home, a judge said Wednesday.
The children's mother, Bobbie Jessica Prather, was arrested and charged with felony murder Monday, hours after the toddler was found unresponsive in the pool, according to police.
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Prather was also charged with four counts of first-degree cruelty to children — one charge for each child. Prather, 32, was denied bond at her first court appearance Wednesday morning.
Police and paramedics were called to a Canter Lane home, near Cartersville, shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday, according to Bartow EMS director Brad Cothran. A deputy pulled the boy from the pool, but the child was unconscious and not breathing, Cothran said.
Paramedics determined the child had been underwater too long to be resuscitated, Cothran said. Just after 6 p.m., Prather was arrested.
“Most of us are parents and (when) we respond to something like this, of course, it affects you, because everyone loves children,” Sgt. Jonathan Rogers told Channel 2 Action News. “Children rely on us for safety, security and comfort.”
Prather’s other three children were removed from the home and placed in protective custody, where they remained Wednesday, Rogers said. The children’s father was arrested Tuesday on unrelated charges, he said.
The state Division of Family and Children Service is assisting with the investigation. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an autopsy on the boy.
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