Parents Cleared in Infant Girl’s Near-Drowning

Diana DeArmond and her husband have been cleared but their family’s life is still suffering in the wake of their arrest by La Habra police last week on suspicion of felony child endangerment after their 18-month-old daughter, Elizabeth, nearly drowned in a bathtub.

Although the DeArmonds have been cleared by the Orange County district attorney’s office, the 22-year-old mother said her husband, Jimmy, 26, has lost his job as a roofer because of the arrest. She said she also suffers nightmares now.

“It’s been bad enough dealing with the accident,” Diana DeArmond said in an interview Wednesday. “I thought she was dead. They (police) treated me like a common criminal.”

Police arrested the DeArmonds on July 18 after Diana DeArmond had found Elizabeth floating face down in bath water about 7:30 p.m. The girl had been taking a bath with her 2 1/2-year-old sister, Heather. After police were called, Elizabeth was taken to Brea Community Hospital and then to Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where she initially was listed in critical condition. Heather was taken from her parents and placed under protective custody at Orangewood Children’s Home in Orange.

After their arrest, the DeArmonds were taken to County Jail. They were released the next day. The two girls were also released to their parents’ custody Friday.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Nat Glover said the incident was an “unfortunate accident.”

Glover said the district attorney’s office decided Tuesday the facts of the incident did not support criminal prosecution of the couple.

La Habra Police Lt. Terry Rammell said that statements made by the DeArmonds and the condition of the younger child prompted Officer Chris Koelber to arrest the couple.

“The arresting officer acted appropriately under the circumstances,” Rammell said.

Rammell said Diana DeArmond had told Koelber that she had left the children unattended for several minutes. But she says the girls had been in the tub for 10 minutes and that she had left the bathroom only to get diapers, towels and their pajamas in the next room.

“The police tried to make it seem like I made them (the girls) take a bath to get rid of them,” DeArmond said. “I did not leave my kids unattended.”

DeArmond says she and her family are now trying to recover from the incident. The family will attend crisis counseling provided by the County Social Services Agency, she said.

“I was away from my kids for two nights and I couldn’t sleep without them,” DeArmond said. “I’m happy this is all over.”