A Georgia father claims he was sleeping when his toddler drowned in a bathtub, but it appears there may be more to the tragic situation. Kenton Hamilton, 47, was alone at a home in Acworth with his 17-month-old and a 4-year-old child when the younger child died on August 1. When police arrived, it was apparently a chaotic scene.
Per the Marietta Daily Journal, Hamilton said he had no idea the child was gone until a friend woke him. Now, he's in jail on multiple felony charges.
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Hamilton told police he and the child were sleeping.
The Marietta Daily Journal reported Hamilton told police he and the toddler fell asleep on the couch on the first level of a residence in west Cobb on Thursday. The child was reportedly asleep on his chest but woke up at some point and allegedly walked away.
He claims the 17-month-old turned on the faucet in the bathtub.
Hamilton said that after the younger child awoke, the toddler walked up two flights of stairs, climbed into the bathtub, turned on the water, and drowned. Hamilton claimed he didn't know the child had woken up until a friend woke him a few minutes before making a call to 911 for help. The child's name was not released but authorities confirmed Hamilton was the father, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The father was arrested the next day.
Hamilton was arrested on Friday and charged with four felonies, including murder and child cruelty, according to an arrest report obtained by the news outlet. He was also charged as a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and on a charge of felony cocaine possession. He allegedly had two baggies of white powder under a couch cushion.
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Hamilton is being held without bond.
The father has a prior felony conviction of statutory rape from 1995, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Per online records, he is in Cobb County Jail without bond. He has no attorney on file and is due in court for a bond hearing on August 21.
