Father charged after daughter falls into pond

A Charleston man is charged with unlawful neglect after deputies say one of his twin daughters walked out of their home and fell into a pond while he slept.

Authorities responded to 2903 Doncaster Drive at 6:13 p.m. Thursday and found one of the 1-year-old girls neck deep in a pond behind the house. A dog was in the water with her, preventing the girl from going under, a Charleston County Sheriff's Office incident report said.

Deputies charged Adam S. Gray, 33, with unlawful neglect by a custodian after firefighters pulled the girl from the pond and took her to a local hospital to be evaluated, the report said.

A Charleston police officer entered the house through an unlocked back door and found Gray asleep in bed. The officer was able to wake him up after several attempts, the report said.

Gray told officers he put the sleeping children inside their cribs about 5 p.m. and closed the door to their upstairs bedroom before going to his room next to it and falling asleep. He said he usually could hear the girls if they attempted to go down the stairs but didn't this time, the report said.

Police say the twins were able to push down a gate at the edge of the stairwell and then walk downstairs and out the back door, when one of them fell into the pond. A neighbor heard the girl's playful voice and called police.

The mother took custody of the children.

Gray does not have any felony convictions in South Carolina, according to a State Law Enforcement Division criminal record check.

A magistrate set Gray's bail at $10,000 Friday.

Reach Andy Paras at 937-5589, aparas@postandcourier.com or on twitter at twitter.com/andyparas.