Volusia News Now

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES -- The drowning of a 2-year-old boy in a hotel pool on this Fourth of July holiday is tragic enough if it weren't for the sad fact that he has become the seventh small child to drown so far this year in Volusia County.

Police responded to a 12:15 p.m. 9-1-1 call of a child drowning in the outdoor pool at the Oceanside Inn, 1909 S. Atlantic Ave. The toddler, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead on arrival at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

"The child went unnoticed under water for nine minutes," Sgt. Mike Fowler said, the time calculated by police in reviewing video surveillance of the pool deck area. Fowler said several family members were with the boy, but added he was unable to provide any further details as to who was actually watching the child, if anyone.

"All I can tell you at this point is surveillance video showed he was under water for nine minutes," said Fowler, the department's spokesman, who was not on duty and received information second hand for media inquiries.

Fowler, whose youngest childest is 4, said of this seventh drowning, "It's certainly a tragic story. A sad ending to the holiday weekend."

NSBNews.net reached out to Daytona Beach Shores Mayor Harry Jennings for his reaction to the holiday tragedy and the mounting death toll of little ones.

Courtesy photo / Shelton Cover was being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail after being charged with leaving his 4-year-old son alone in a car.

DELTONA -- A South Florida man was arrested Sunday afternoon when it was discovered that he had left a 4-year-old boy alone in his Toyota Camry rental for at least 13 minutes while he went into a grocery store.

"The boy was unharmed, but was in potential danger in a warm car with the windows rolled up, the car off and the doors locked," Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught said of the incident in the Publix Shopping Center, 2783 Elkcam Blvd.

Shelton Cover, 32, of Hollywood, was charged with leaving a child younger than 6 unattended, a felony.

The boy was unharmed and turned over to his mother who was called to the scene by deputies. A concerned citizen saw Cover get out of his vehicle in the parking lot of the Publix at about 2:39 p.m. Cover went into the store, leaving the boy in the back seat alone Haught said.

"Deputies and the Deltona Fire Department were called to the scene where they saw the boy sweating and nervous but alert," the Sheriff's spokesman said. "It was 86 degrees with a 90 degree heat index at the time. Firefighters pried open a door, got the boy out and had him checked out by EVAC Ambulance paramedics."

DAYTONA BEACH -- In the wake of yet another no-name driver winning at Daytona International Speedway and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s post-race tirade about the state of restrictor-plate racing, a pre-race poll taken by ESPN showing sports fans prefer the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest to NASCAR's weekend racing speaks volumes about the waning interest in motorsports.

ORMOND BEACH -- Blue Oyster Cult rocked Biketoberfest at Destination Daytona on Saturday before 6,500 screaming fans and NSBNews.net was right there on state with the classic rockers as they performed signature songs "Godzilla," "Burnin' for You" and the biggest of them all, "(Don't Fear) the Reaper."