Deputy Wades Into Pond to Pull Out Wandering 4-Year-Old as Parents Are Arrested Over Filthy Home

Deltona, United States – A sheriff's deputy waded into a retention pond to rescue a 4-year-old boy who had been wandering alone, before the child's parents were arrested on neglect charges in Deltona, Florida.

Body camera footage released by the Volusia Sheriff's Office shows deputies running across a grassy field to the edge of the pond. One deputy steps into the water and lifts out the little boy, then walks back to the road as a colleague asks if he can find his house.

The child is later seen sitting in a patrol car as deputies search for where he lives.

Deputies responded after a call about an unaccompanied toddler walking around the pond, the sheriff's office said. Inside the home they identified, they found filthy conditions, including large amounts of animal waste, a roach infestation and mold.

Deltona Animal Control took custody of a caged and neglected dog. Both parents were arrested on charges of child neglect and animal cruelty. A grandparent took custody of the boy, and the Florida Department of Children and Families was contacted.