DAYTONA BEACH, FL. (THECOUNT) — John Bloodsworth has been identified as the Florida father arrested after he tossed his young son off the Dayton Main Street pier in an effort to teach the boy how to swim.
The “swimming lesson” led to child abuse charges against Bloodsworth.
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Florida officials say it is illegal to jump off the Main Street pier much less conducting a terrifying swimming lesson.
Witnesses said the child was struggling to swim in a deep part of the Ocean near the pier.
“I said, ‘I can’t take this no more.’ So I went down to the pier, down to the shore and confronted him myself,” said witness Mitch Brown, a former Georgia State Trooper who was on vacation in Daytona Beach with his family.
Fed up observing Bloodsworth’s behavior, the former trooper decided contact Daytona Beach police officer who later arrested the father.
According to a Volusia County beach safety report, Bloodsworth claimed he was trying to teach his son to swim.
The officer who arrested him said the father was clearly intoxicated, reports ABC7News.
Bloodsworth is now facing child abuse and disorderly intoxication in public charges.
While at Volusia County Beach Safety Headquarters, Bloodsworth allegedly said he was ‘going to jail for being awesome,’ and he would be ‘coming back to the pier to jump off every day.’
Bloodsworth was released from jail Tuesday after he posted bond.
Geo quick facts: Dayton Beach Main Street Pier is a wooden pier that stretches from the boardwalk into the ocean & features a seafood restaurant.