Parents of children swept away by Arizona floodwaters in 2019 get probation

GLOBE, Ariz. — A married couple whose two children and a niece drowned in Arizona floodwaters in 2019 pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and child abuse charges on Tuesday.

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Daniel Rawlings was sentenced to five years of probation and Lacey Rawlings received four years of probation, KPHO reported. The couple was sentenced to supervised probation without jail time after accepting a plea deal in December, according to The Arizona Republic.

Daniel Rawlings was also sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service, while Lacey Rawlings received 480 hours of community service.

The couple was indicted in April 2020 in Gila County Superior Court, KTVK reported. Daniel Rawlings was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of reckless manslaughter and seven counts of child abuse, while Lacey Rawlings was indicted on seven counts of child abuse, the television station reported.

The couple accepted the guilty pleas as part of their deal, the Republic reported.

The couple and seven other family members were driving in an oversized, military-style truck on Nov. 29, 2019, when they got stuck in the raging waters of Tonto Creek, authorities said.

>> Parents of children swept away by Arizona floodwaters plead not guilty

Daniel and Lacey Rawlings escaped from the truck. However, the bodies of their son, Colby Rawlings, and niece, Austin Rawlings, were found the next day, about 1,000 yards from the failed crossing. The body of another child of the couple, 6-year-old Willa Rawlings, was found on Dec. 13, 2019, KSAZ reported.

Four other children who were also in the vehicle survived.

According to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, barricades had been erected at the crossing, warning drivers of the dangers, KTVK reported.

The Rawlings had crossed the creek on their way to a family member’s home when their son pleaded to enter the water again because he was having fun, Lacey Rawlings said in an interview that was played in court Thursday. This time, they drove into a part of the creek that was more dangerous, The Associated Press reported.

Austin Rawlings’ grandmother, Lynn Morey, asked the court to send “an appropriate message,” KPHO reported.

“The message is that it’s not OK for children to make life-altering choices when it comes to their safety,” Morey told the court. “The message that it will not be tolerated for any adult, not even once to ignore a pool without a fence, car ride without a child restraint, boats without proper lifejackets on board, or a rain-swollen creek with a closed no crossing sign in front of it. This message needs to resonate throughout this entire state, so similar tragedies are not repeated because children are God’s gift to us and we have to take care of them.”

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