Unlawful Conduct Towards Children

On August 14, 2018 the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office responded to an address on Highway 76 East in Clinton in reference to an unconscious child. Upon arrival, officers found a one year old male child unresponsive, with the child’s mother explaining that he was found in the bathtub. ​It appears that the child entered a bathroom in the residence and then climbed into the bathtub while the mother and her husband were in another room. The child was located in the tub, unresponsive, by a sibling and then the adults in the home. The child was taken to the hospital and treated, however he did not recover from this tragic incident. We were notified yesterday afternoon that the child had been removed from life support and passed away a short time later. ​Kimberly Collins, the mother of the child, as well as Joshua Collins, her husband, were arrested. However, their arrests were not directly related to the drowning incident. When Deputies and Investigators arrived on scene, they found the residence to be in a state of disarray and infested with bugs. Due to the condition of the home the other children were removed from the home and placed with a family member. The mother and her husband are being charged with three counts of Unlawful Conduct toward Children due to the conditions of their home. ​The drowning incident is still under investigation, however after consulting with the Solicitors Office, as well as the State Law Enforcement Division Child Fatality Unit, it appears the drowning was accidental, therefore we don’t expect any further charges to be filed in relation to the drowning.