KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, LouisianaLCPD Investigates Near Drowning at Local Apartment Complex

LCPD Investigates Near Drowning at Local Apartment Complex

Reported By: Natalie Grise

A two-year-old remains in a medically induced coma after a Monday morning near-drowning at a local apartment complex. Jessica Wheat is still in critical condition at Memorial Hospital.

The four foot fence surrounding the pool at the Wilshire Apartments is undergoing a renovation. The pool has been closed and locked for a year, but two year old year Wheat got in after someone removed four wooden boards near the locked gate.

"We never had a problem with the children at the pool. And the reason we never had a problem is because of the security measures already in place for the children. But after yesterday, we realized we have to make it 'adultproof' also, which is what we are doing now," says the spokesman for the Wilshire, Rev. L.C. Green, whose ministry meets in the community room behind the pool.

The first step in "adultproofing" the pool involves adding a wire fence on top of the existing fence. One of the maintenance workers doing just that, Martin Martinez, was the first one on the scene yesterday.

"He didn't give it a second thought, he just went in there, and the reason she has a chance, a fighting chance, is because of his actions," says Green.

Green will lead a special prayer service dedicated to Wheat on the courts near the swimming pool at the Wilshire, beginning at 6:00 Thursday night.