A 68-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the June 18 drowning death of a 12-year-old boy at a California park. Kenneth Dobbins was taken into custody Thursday in Lancaster by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies following a tip from a civilian.
The incident occurred around 6 p.m. at a park in California City, a Kern County community. Authorities state that dogs linked to Dobbins began chasing the boy, identified as Fernando Torres Moreno. According to accounts, two off-leash dogs pursued the child, forcing him into a lake as he attempted to escape.
Emergency responders from the California City Police Department found the boy submerged in the water. Officers removed him from the lake and administered CPR at the scene before he was transported to a hospital. He was later transferred to Children’s Hospital in Bakersfield, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Dobbins faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and negligent ownership of a mischievous animal.