CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : GARDEN GROVE : No Murder Charge in Newborn’s Death

A 15-year-old Garden Grove honors student whose newborn baby drowned in a high school restroom toilet will not be charged with murder, authorities said. The Santiago High School sophomore remained hospitalized in good condition. Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. John Conley said prosecutors have not decided whether to press involuntary manslaughter or child endangerment charges, or bring no charges at all. An autopsy showed the baby boy was apparently delivered into the toilet, where he drowned. However, authorities say they found no evidence that the girl deliberately drowned the child. Vietnamese culture frowns on unwed mothers, and girls who become pregnant are usually thrown out of their homes by their parents. “If it goes to court, it’ll ruin her life for good,” said Dr. Co Dang Long Pham, a Westminster obstetrician. “I feel she shouldn’t be charged,” said Mai Cong, chairman of the Vietnamese Community Social Service Center.