A 27-year-old Oakland Hills man was arrested after a child was critically injured when left unsupervised at a swimming pool.
The child was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital after being revived by members of the Villages Public Safety Department at the home of Thomas Joseph Petrick. The 2-year-old girl had been found floating face down in the pool, while Petrick was under the influence of drugs, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
Petrick later admitted to a Department of Children and Families investigator he had been smoking marijuana at the time of the incident. In a voluntary drug test, Petrick tested positive for marijuana, cocaine and amphetamine.
The child’s mother told law enforcement that Petrick, who does not work, is responsible for watching the little girl and a 3-year-old sibling while she is at work.
He is now facing felony charges of child neglect.
Petrick had been released Oct. 1, 2014 from prison on drug charges.
He had failed to register as an offender in Sumter County. He is also facing a misdemeanor charge of failure to register as a convicted felon.
Petrick had been arrested with 1,200 pills last year by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. You can read about that incident HERE