Garden Grove Homeowner Indicted in Swimmer’s Death : Courts: John Whyte Wright faces arraignment on a count of involuntary manslaughter. He denies knowing of wiring problems blamed in electrocution.

An owner of a Garden Grove house where a swimmer was electrocuted in the pool last year was indicted on a homicide charge Wednesday after authorities alleged he had ignored previous wiring problems.

The Orange County Grand Jury charged John Whyte Wright, 58, of Westminster with involuntary manslaughter, which could mean up to four years in state prison if he is convicted in Orange County Superior Court.

Wright said Wednesday that he had not known of the electrical problems at the pool.

Prosecutors allege that Wright had ignored faulty and exposed wiring for the back-yard pool where 21-year-old Kathryn Douglas received a fatal charge of electricity during a late-evening swim on Aug. 17, 1994.

A friend who was at the opposite end of the pool felt a “hot and tingling sensation” at the same time that Douglas began calling for help, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Molko. The friend, who was not identified, pulled Douglas from the pool but the victim was pronounced dead shortly after she was taken to West Anaheim Medical Center.

Molko said the electrical charge “somehow found its way to the water” and Douglas apparently was electrocuted when she touched the pool deck or the ladder.

Molko said authorities believe Wright was criminally responsible for the death by not fixing the wiring earlier. Wright, who did not live at the house on Biscayne Court, also faces wrongful-death lawsuits filed by both of Douglas’ parents.

“He was put on notice that there were problems and he was negligent to the point of being criminally negligent,” Molko said. He declined to detail how Wright was notified of the electrical problems.

An attorney representing the victim’s mother in the civil lawsuit said a previous tenant had reported wiring problems at the pool--including a sensation of tingling when swimming in the deep end--but was told the wires had been disconnected, according to attorney Eric Faith, who represents Cheryl Douglas.

“[Wright] just shined it on. He didn’t want to spend the money,” Faith said.

Wright said in a brief interview that he was unaware of pool wiring problems at the 40-year-old house he and a co-owner rented to several tenants. “Not at all,” Wright said.

Wright said he was stunned at the criminal charges. “It’s a shock to me. I’m kind of amazed.” He referred other questions to his lawyer. Defense attorney William Anagnostou declined to discuss the case.

Molko said the pool was built before the advent of many electrical safety measures. Molko said, for example, that the pool lacked a device common in many homes that shuts off electricity during power surges. In addition, the prosecutor said that wires were rusted through and exposed in spots and housed in a conduit that was rotted.

Wright was booked and released from Orange County Jail on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 11 in Orange County Superior Court.