A memorial made for Alaina Dildine outside the doors to the band department at Whiteland Community High School on May 17.
Daily Journal File Photo
A student who drowned at Whiteland Community High School in May was underwater for 52 minutes before she was pulled out, the sheriff’s office said Monday.
No criminal charges are expected to be filed against Clark-Pleasant Community School Corp. employees in connection with the drowning death of Alaina Dildine, 15, who was found unconscious underwater in the high school’s pool on May 16. Since May, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has been conducting an investigation into Dildine’s death, which was ruled an accident by the Johnson County Coroner’s Office on May 30. The coroner’s office said she died from drowning after having a seizure.
Following what officials said was a thorough investigation by the sheriff’s office and review of materials given to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office, prosecutors announced Monday that no criminal laws were violated by employees. In terms of civil action, it’s not the prosecutor’s office’s job to determine whether any negligence on behalf of school officials contributed to the incident, Prosecutor Lance Hamner said in a statement.
“This accidental death is an unspeakable tragedy and this office expresses its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the student,” he said.
The sheriff’s office also announced the findings of its investigation on Monday, providing a detailed look into the circumstances surrounding Dildine’s death.
First responders were called to the high school on a report of a drowning around 11:12 a.m. on May 16. At that time, Dildine had been pulled from the pool, and CPR had been started. At about 11:47 a.m., medical staff pronounced Dildine deceased, according to a sheriff’s office statement.
In the early stages of the investigation, Clark-Pleasant Police officers conducted initial interviews of staff members and preserved video surveillance. On May 17, the sheriff’s office was asked to investigate the incident. Following discussions between JCSO, Clark-Pleasant Police and Clark-Pleasant officials, the sheriff’s office began investigating on May 18.
The staff members and students deputies spoke to were cooperative during the investigation.
When swim class that day was underway, students were in the pool with an instructional assistant/lifeguard on duty and a physical education teacher present, according to JCSO.
Investigators determined that at 10:18 a.m. on May 16, Dildine went below the surface under the bulkhead that separates the swimming lanes and the diving well. Other students continued to swim at this time, deputies say.
At 10:30 a.m., the class was dismissed after completing their time in the pool. Dildine was still submerged in the pool, and was still unnoticed, deputies say.
The next class enters the pool area at 11:01 a.m. A male student noticed Dildine underwater at 11:10 a.m. The lifeguard entered the water at the same time, pulled her out and began CPR. The P.E. teacher called 911 and reported the incident to school officials around this time, according to JCSO.
Dildine was submerged for about 52 minutes before she was pulled out. She was unnoticed the entire time, and was pronounced dead at 11:47 a.m, deputies say.
In an obituary posted a few days after Dildine’s death, her family described her as a spirited, beautiful girl “with a smile for everyone she met.” She also enjoyed learning and completed the summer reading program every year at the library, the obituary says.
“Alaina was a wise soul who wanted to make sure everyone knew they were special,” the obituary says. “She lived by the quote signed at the end of her emails, ‘don’t let yesterday change the way you see tomorrow.’”
