Police Arrest Father of Toddler who Drowned in Local Motel Pool

LUFKIN — The father of an East Texas child who died after being found submerged in a motel pool has turned himself into authorities. According to our news partner, KETK, Rondarius Smith, 26, of Lufkin, surrendered to officials on a charge of injury to a child in connection with his daughter Arianna’s death. An arrest warrant states Smith failed to adequately watch his daughter when he fell asleep after using drugs and alcohol. On March 20, police say Arianna exited the room and entered the pool area due to a broken gate latch. Arianna was submerged for 10 minutes. The child was taken to a Houston hospital where she died the following day.

In early April, the child’s father filed a $1,000,000 lawsuit against Motel 6 Inc. and G6 Hospitality LLC, in Arianna’s death. The Lufkin Daily News reported the father’s lawsuit claimed “the incident occurred because of a lack of security on the motel’s part.