Intoxicated father accused of throwing 5-year-old son in ocean in attempt to teach him how to swim

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A man who is accused of throwing his 5-year-old son into the Atlantic Ocean has posted bond and was released from jail Tuesday, according to a WESH report.

What happened

A former trooper witnesses the incident and brought John Bloodsworth to a Daytona Beach police officer, who later arrested him.

The officer who arrested Bloodworth said the father was clearly intoxicated.

According to a Volusia County Beach Safety report, Bloodsworth claimed he was trying to teach his son to swim.

Bloodsworth is facing a child abuse charge and a charge for disorderly intoxication in public.

While at Volusia County Beach Safety headquarters, Bloodsworth said he was "going to jail for being awesome," and he would be "coming back to the pier to jump off every day," according to a WESH report.

What witnesses said

Witnesses said Bloodworth left the child alone in the water as he repeatedly dove from a Daytona Beach 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," witness Mitch Brown said.

Brown is a former Georgia State Trooper. He was on vacation in Daytona Beach with his family.
 
Brown said they were having dinner on the Main Street Pier Monday night when he and his family noticed a child trying to bob above the waves on the side of the pier.

"The little kid was out here by himself. Completely by himself. There was nobody around him, no adults," Brown said.

Brown said other people were watching as Bloodsworth would tumble from the pier, swim past his child, and throw him into the waves while yelling at him to learn to swim.

Fed up, the former trooper decided to confront the man.

"I said, 'you're coming with me, one way or another,'" Brown said. "The kid was already very visibly upset and crying, and he didn't want to be there."