Seems Mom had left to go to the store and had left dad CHRISTOPHER HOPKINS in charge of babysitting their 2-year-old daughter. Well, it seems that Daddy couldn't actually be bothered to supervise a disabled 2-year-old who is prone to seizures--even while she was taking a bath. No, he wanted to watch a porn flick while his wife was gone, a film he had kept "hidden" from the girl's mother. So he did so. And now the little girl is dead.
http://www.kens5.com/news/Father-watching-porn-blamed-in-disabled-toddlers-drowning-118425139.html
After local disabled toddler drowns, focus turns to father
by Marvin Hurst / KENS 5
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kens5.com
Posted on March 22, 2011 at 9:07 AM
Updated today at 10:06 AM
SAN ANTONIO -- A San Antonio father was arrested Monday night in connection with the death of his disabled daughter.
According to San Antonio police, Christopher Hopkins left his 2-year-old unattended in a bath tub while he watched a pornographic movie. The child drowned. Now, SAPD is holding him criminally responsible.
Hopkins is charged with injury to a child-serious bodily injury. He is trying to make a $50,000 bond.
According to an arrest warrant, police responded to the 12600 Uhr Lane on March 12 for a child who was found not breathing. Police said Cassie Hopkins was taken to Northeast Baptist Hospital where she died the next day.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death an accidental drowning. However, police believe there was enough evidence to warrant criminal charges.
The warrant indicates Hopkins' wife had gone to the store. Cassie was left at home with her 29-year-old father, police said. He reportedly put her in a bath tub without any supervision, according to the arrest document.
According to the suspect, he checked on his daughter after five minutes. He alleged Cassie was playing in the tub's water. Then, 10 minutes later things had taken a horrific turn. Hopkins said he found the disabled toddler floating in the tub. She was not breathing said police.
The warrant said Cassie had Angelman Syndrome. It's a neuro-genetic disorder often mistaken for cerebral palsy. Police said the two-year-old was mentally handicapped, could not walk, had speech deficiencies, and prone to seizures. Her father tried to perform CPR on the toddler to no avail.
Police said Hopkins claimed he had left the child unattended in the tub before with no bad results. He also told them he had stepped out to watch television and drink a beer.
However, the warrant said the father later made a tearful sounding call to detectives. Police said he made a startling admission.
Hopkins allegedly told police he was in another room watching pornography while his daughter drowned in the tub. The warrant said he had hidden the movie from his wife. Police said he locked himself in the bedroom, his disabled toddler was unsupervised in the bathroom, and he had other children in the living room.
The father thought he had pulled the plastic plug in the tub to drop the water level, police said. Initially, Hopkins told investigators he found the water up to the child's chest. Investigators said the water never drained. The next time Hopkins checked on the child his private gratification had evolved into full blown terror.
According to the arrest warrant, the parents have an open investigation with Child Protective Services for neglect on allegations involving child supervision.