Huntington Beach Couple Being Investigated in Child’s Death

A Huntington Beach couple, operators of a baby-sitting business where a 3-year-old boy nearly drowned earlier this week, have been under investigation by the district attorney’s office in the death of another child several months ago, officials said Thursday.

The Orange County Social Services Agency is also investigating allegations that the couple, Arnold and Dawn Arganda, are not licensed to provide day care for children in their home, agency officials said Thursday.

Huntington Beach Police Lt. Ed McErlain said investigators’ files on the Argandas have been given to the district attorney’s office for review. The Argandas care for children at their home in the 15300 block of Cascade Lane, he said.

On Monday, 3-year-old Justin V. Franklin fell into the Argandas’ swimming pool and nearly drowned. McErlain said that Dawn Arganda and her mother pulled the boy from the pool.

Justin was still listed in serious condition Thursday at Childrens Hospital of Orange County. McErlain said that investigators found no evidence of wrongdoing in that case.

However, he said, the Argandas were already being investigated in the Jan. 31 death of Jason Arganda, 2, who died of “blunt trauma,” the coroner’s report said, without elaborating.

The boy had been under the Argandas’ care for a year, and the couple had planned to adopt him, although those proceedings were never begun, McErlain said.

“There was no crime in the second (pool) incident, but I think the district attorney’s office might want to look at the other case a little closer now,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the district attorney said Thursday that the case “was being reviewed, but we have nothing to report at the moment.”

The Argandas were unavailable for comment Thursday.

McErlain said the investigators’ file was turned over to the district attorney before this week’s incident involving the Franklin boy, but he declined to give a specific date.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Rick Toohey has been assigned to the case; however, he was ill Thursday and was not available for comment, his secretary said.

Margaret Beck, program manager of the county’s Social Services Agency, said the agency’s family day-care licensing division had not yet determined whether the couple needed a license.

Beck said, however, that licensing would not be required if the couple takes care of the children of relatives or the children of a friend, provided all are from the same family.

McErlain said that the Argandas were caring for seven children, including three of their own. He said the other four children belonged to two other families.