Swim Instructor Charged in Drowning Death of 4-Year-Old Israel ‘Izzy’ Scott

According to The Augusta Chronicle, Augusta District Attorney Jared T. Williams has instructed the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to issue an arrest warrant for swim instructor Lexie TenHuisen. She will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of 4-year-old Israel “Izzy” Scott.

Williams released a statement pertaining to the case.

“After months of dedicated inquiry, investigation, and legal analysis, we conclude that a criminal offense has occurred in the death of Israel Scott. I have instructed the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to issue an arrest warrant for Lexie Tenhuisen for the charge of Involuntary Manslaughter, a misdemeanor as defined by O.C.G.A. 16-5-3(b). After conferring with the Solicitor General’s Office for Burke County, in the interest of preventing delays and ensuring continuity of services for Izzy’s family, we shall exercise our concurrent jurisdiction by accusing this matter in the Superior Court of Burke County.”

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— Augusta Judicial Circuit, District Atty’s Office (@AugustaDAOffice) December 30, 2022

BLACK ENTERPRISE reported in July that Scott was attending his second supervised swimming lesson before the incident occurred at a residential pool on June 14, per WFXG.

Police officers appeared on the scene after 11 a.m. and were told that the boy was discovered unresponsive in a pool before a nurse arrived on the scene and tried to resuscitate him. Scott was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

Scott’s mother, Dori Scott posted a message to her Facebook page after hearing the news.

“After 6 months, we have some sort of accountability and acknowledgment that someone did wrong. It’s sad that it had to take this long to acknowledge the fact that you paid someone who had a business to teach your son to swim(after she stated that parents couldn’t stay) and you never got him back. As a mother in pain and heartbroken just this small step helps my heart a little because there was no type of accountability or apology for 6 months . Although we still don’t know what happened to Izzy in the pool (only speculation), at least it’s acknowledged that it’s wrong and someone is being held accountable.”