LAKELAND, FL— 27-year-old Isaac Kinsey is facing multiple charges after Lakeland Police said he crashed into a construction area, fled into a dark, swampy wooded area and was later found carrying two young children who were injured during the ordeal.
According to Lakeland Police, the single-vehicle crash occurred during the early morning hours of Sept. 9 on Highway 33 at North Combee Road. The vehicle traveled through a road-closure sign and sandbags before entering a construction zone and coming to rest against exposed tree roots. Police said the extensive damage was consistent with a rollover.
When officers arrived, the driver had fled on foot. After discovering two child safety seats inside the vehicle and being unable to determine whether children had been inside, officers immediately began searching the surrounding area.
Police deployed a drone to search the area in total darkness. Approximately 30 minutes later, the drone operator located Kinsey in a wooded, swampy area south of the crash site. Kinsey was carrying two children, ages 2 years and 10 months.
As officers made their way through the difficult terrain, the drone operator maintained visual contact with Kinsey. Police said Kinsey struggled to move and fell multiple times while carrying the children, causing them to become submerged in standing water.
Officers eventually reached the three, rescued the children and took Kinsey into custody. Both children were transported to Lakeland Regional Health for treatment of injuries and survived. Kinsey was also transported to the hospital for treatment.
Police said Kinsey showed multiple signs of impairment and admitted he was intoxicated and that his driver’s license was suspended.
Kinsey faces eight misdemeanor charges and three felony charges, including two counts of negligent child abuse with great bodily harm.
Lakeland Police credited the rapid deployment of its drone and the persistence of responding officers with helping locate and rescue the children from the difficult terrain before the situation became an even greater tragedy.
SOURCE: LAKELAND POLICE DEPARTMENT
