Professor dad pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter after his severely autistic 16-year-old son drowns in backyard pool after being left unsupervised with his hands bound
The father of a severely autistic 16-year-old Michigan boy who drowned in the family's icy pool last winter has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors accused Tim Koets, a former Grand Rapids Community College professor, of failing to supervise his son Sam whose hands were bound while he stood in the pool in March 2019.
Koets, 51, said he had left for work and was assured that others were keeping an eye on his son at their home near Hudsonville.
Koets pleaded guilty on Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter and fourth-degree child abuse.
He also admitted to obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, stemming from the misuse of his dead son's Ritalin prescription.
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Timothy Koets, 51 , appeared in Michigan court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and fourth-degree child abuse in the March 2019 drowning death of his severely impaired son
Koets, a former Grand Rapids Community College professor , was charged with a felony in October 2019, months after 16-year-old Sam Koets died of cold water drowning
The autistic and non-verbal teen with the cognitive functioning of a toddler had gone into his family's icy backyard pool while his arms were restrained
He faces a minimum of 19 months in prison when he is sentenced on January 19. The involuntary manslaughter charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, reported Mlive.com.
Prosecutors said Sam, who had the cognitive functioning of a two-year-old, spent hours in the frigid above-ground pool while his father was away, and died of cold water drowning.
Koets’ 13-year-old daughter texted him a photo of Sam in the pool with his arms bound and he allegedly replied, 'make sure the freak is OK.'
In an interview with Inside Edition in January, Koets claimed that the term 'freak' was a light-hearted nickname.
'It sends a strong signal to our community that all children matter, all children have worth, life is important,' Ottawa County assistant prosecutor Paul Kraus told WOOD-TV.
Koets has said he woke his wife before leaving for work on March 28, 2019, so she could watch Sam.
Michelle Koets, who had worked an overnight shift as a registered nurse, confirmed that he did alert her before heading out that afternoon.
Tim Koets was aware that the non-verbal teenager had walked into the icy pool based on text messages from his daughter, police said.
Koets’ 13-year-old daughter texted him a photo of Sam in the pool with his arms bound and he allegedly replied, 'make sure the freak is OK'
After the death, investigators found that Sam lived in 'deplorable' conditions in the basement, where there were feces smeared on a mattress and the walls
Authorities said the parents sometimes restrained the boy's arms to prevent him from harming himself or others.
After the death, investigators found that Sam, who had a history of aggression toward himself and others, lived in 'deplorable' conditions.
'They say he was kept in a basement with no windows where his mattress was without sheets and had fecal matter on it.
'Fecal matter was smeared on the walls and dirty diapers were found throughout the room', documents alleged.
But a pediatrician familiar with the family and Timothy's relative both described the Koets couple as loving parents who took care of their severely disabled son.
Joel Koets, Timothy's cousin, told Mlive.com both he and Michelle were 'saints' for the way they treated their son and strove to improve his life.
Earlier this year, Sam's mother, Michelle Koets (pictured with her son) was sentenced to 21 days in jail for refilling the Ritalin prescription belonging to her son
'I just can't believe it. I mean, 16 years, we cared for that boy, and to have the prosecutor treat me this way is very, very hurtful to me,' Timothy Koets told Inside Edition earlier this year.
A day after Sam's death, his younger sister was taken out of the home and put in foster care. The father was criminally charged in October 2019.
This past June, Michelle Koets was sentenced to 21 days in jail for refilling the Ritalin prescription belonging to Sam after his death and taking the drug herself along with her husband.