PALMDALE – A 33-year-old woman accused of trying to drown her son in a community pool last week has pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted murder and one count of child cruelty.
Allaire Edi McDougall entered the plea in an Antelope Valley courtroom Thursday and was ordered held on $1 million bail.
Authorities allege around 7:30 p.m. on May 24, McDougall attempting to hold her 8-year-old son under water in the swimming pool at the Monte Vista apartment complex in Palmdale.
McDougall was ranting about the end of the world during the incident, according to several media reports.
“She’s telling him, ‘Son, you have to go. This is the end of the world,’” witness Susan Williams said during a television interview.
Bystanders intervened and rescued the boy from McDougall, according to Sergeant B. Hudson of the Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau.
Once the boy was saved, McDougall tried to drown herself, witnesses said. McDougall was pulled out of the pool by witnesses and had to be subdued by authorities before she was taken away.
Video of McDougall twisting and kicking as she was carried away on a stretcher was shown on several television news stations.
The 8-year-old boy was transported to the hospital for treatment. He has since been released and is now in protective custody, Hudson said.
At Thursday’s court hearing, McDougall was served with a protective order prohibiting her from having any contact with her son. Several of McDougall’s family members were in the courtroom to offer support. A woman who identified herself as McDougall’s aunt said the family was from Belize, and referred questions to McDougall’s mother. McDougall’s mother did not want to be interviewed.
McDougall is due back in court on June 12 for a preliminary hearing.
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