Dad threw son into ocean to ‘teach him to swim’ — then did backflips: cops
By Chris Perez | New York Post
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A drunk Florida man tried “teaching” his 5-year-old son how to swim by allegedly tossing him into the Atlantic Ocean — and then proceeded to do backflips off a nearby pier as the boy struggled to stay afloat, cops said.
Upon being arrested, John Bloodsworth — a 37-year-old from Daytona Beach — reportedly claimed he was “going to jail for being awesome.”
Local officials told The Daytona Beach News-Journal that no lifeguards were on duty at the time and there was a moderate risk of rip currents. Swimming in the area where Bloodsworth was goofing off had been prohibited due to its close proximity to the pier, the officials said.
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Bloodsworth, however, told cops that he “could not think of a better place to teach his son to swim,” according to the News-Journal.
He had been with the boy on Monday night, drinking beers, when witnesses saw them both go into the water. Bloodsworth later claimed that he was not endangering his child by “teaching him to swim.” The boy was reportedly crying when cops plucked him from the water. Authorities wound up turning him over to his mother.
Bloodsworth was charged with aggravated abuse of a child resulting in physical/mental injuries, disorderly intoxication and swimming within 300 feet of the pier. He was reportedly released from jail after posting $1,500 bail.
