A California man watched a boy drown after his three dogs chased the child into a lake — and instead of helping, he called his dogs out of the water and left, police say.
Kenneth Dobbins, 68, was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and negligent ownership following the death of 12-year-old Fernando Torres Moreno in California City, a small community roughly 100 miles north of Los Angeles.
The incident unfolded on June 18 at Central Park Lake. Just after 6 p.m., emergency dispatchers received a call reporting that a boy had jumped into the lake while fleeing dogs — and never resurfaced.
Officers arrived within minutes, located Fernando at the bottom of the lake, brought him to the surface, and immediately began CPR. He was rushed to a local hospital and later transferred to Children’s Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
According to investigators, Dobbins entered the water not to save the boy — but to retrieve his pets. Once his dogs were out, he walked away.
The horror did not end there.
After the dogs returned to dry land, they attacked Fernando’s 8-year-old sister, leaving her with serious bite wounds. She was treated at a nearby hospital and released.
Dobbins spoke to detectives the following day, acknowledging there had been “an incident involving children” at the park. He denied his dogs were dangerous.
Investigators spent the following days gathering evidence and positively identified his three dogs as those responsible for both attacks. Los Angeles County deputies tracked Dobbins down in Lancaster and transferred him to Kern County custody.
Last Monday, Dobbins was scheduled for his arraignment — and refused to appear in court.
Fernando was described by those who loved him as a bright, joyful boy who loved the outdoors, his siblings, and making new friends.
He was 12 years old.
