A hunch ultimately led a Forsyth County associate Magistrate Judge to rescue a missing child.
Around 8 p.m. on July 15, Phillip Bettis received the Swift/Reverse 911 notification of a missing two-year-old boy in the area of Campground Road in southwest Forsyth County. He thought the child might be at an unoccupied home in the area, according to Forsyth County Sheriff's Cpl. Doug Rainwater. When the judge arrived at the home, he located the boy floating, face up, in the swimming pool, only buoyant because of his diaper.
Rainwater said Bettis immediately took action and jumped into the pool. A Sheriff's Office lieutenant heard noises and arrived at the scene, witnessing the rescue, according to Rainwater.
Rainwater said medical assistance was immediately rendered to the child by local EMS and the child was found to be in good condition.
"The majority of the time when we receive calls like this, the child or person is found before or shortly after we arrive. This particular call was very concerning, but with the quick response and due diligence of the Sheriff’s Office, the Fire Department, dispatch and the citizens in the community a near certain tragedy was avoided. FCSO would like to thank Judge Phillip Bettis for his quick thinking in saving this child’s life, by not only listening to the reverse 911 call but acting on it," Rainwater said in a press release. "Judge Bettis exemplifies a true hero in our community."
Before the rescue, officers learned the child had escaped his home through an unlocked back door and had been gone for a half hour when police arrived. Deputies conducted a search of the home where the child was living and noted deplorable living conditions. Rainwater said they contacted the Department of Family and Children Services out of concern for the children living there. Both children living in the home were removed.
The mother of the children, Danielle Cherie Wright, was arrested and charged with cruelty to children second degree and reckless conduct by the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit. She is currently being held in the Forsyth County Jail with an $11,735 bond.
