BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Two young children who nearly drowned in buckets of water Monday remained in critical condition Tuesday at Children's Hospital. Dayton, Ky., police Officer Sean Donelan performed CPR on 13-month-old Jahzion Sebastian after the boy fell into a bucket of water his mother had been using to mop the floor.
Officer Donelan has been with the department just seven weeks, said Chief Fred Hildebrant.
Jahzion's mother was bathing another child about 2:30 p.m. Monday in their apartment on Clay Street when Jahzion got out of his crib and fell into the full bucket, police said. His sister found him.
The boy's mother started cardiopulmonary resuscitation, with help from Campbell County dispatchers. Officer Donelan took over when he arrived.
In Union Township, Clermont County, 9-month-old Dezmen Dean was found by her mother Monday morning in a bucket of water inside their home, police said.
Union Township police Lt. Mark Griffith said it appeared accidental. He said Dezmen got into a bucket that was used for an inside remodeling project.
The incidents illustrate the dangers of leaving water near babies, experts say.
"Children can literally drown in an inch of water," Melody Argentine, national program director for the San Diego-based Child Safety Network, said Tuesday.
"You should never leave a bathtub, toilet or bucket with water in it unattended," she said. "Especially with young children, who can get around quicker than many parents realize."
Jane Prendergast contributed to this report.
