Dad pleads guilty in autistic son’s backyard pool drowning

HUDSONVILLE » The father of a severely autistic 16-yearold Michigan boy who drowned in a family pool has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Prosecutors accused Tim Koets of failing to supervise his son whose hands were bound while he stood in the pool in March 2019. Koets said he had left for work at a college and was assured that others were keeping an eye on Sam at their home near Hudsonville.

Koets pleaded guilty Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter and fourth-degree child abuse, a misdemeanor.