Deputy moonlighting as scuba instructor charged after 12-year-old drowns during class

After a Texas household filed a lawsuit against 2 scuba companies pursuing the drowning decease of their 12-year-old daughter, an apprehension has been made.

William Armstrong, a erstwhile adjunct main lawman successful Collin County, has been charged with felony wounded to a child. Armstrong was the certified scuba teacher tasked with supervising 12-year-old Dylan Harrison during a diving certification people connected Aug. 16, 2025, on with certified divemaster Jonathan Roussel. At immoderate constituent during the class, Dylan disappeared. More than 30 minutes aft her instructors noticed she was gone, she was recovered unresponsive and was pronounced dormant by exigency aesculapian personnel.

As Law&Crime antecedently reported, Dylan's household sued Armstrong, Roussel, the National Association of Underwater Instructors that issued their respective certifications, and different organizations connected with the scuba people Dylan was taking. The Harrisons booked the people and bought instrumentality astatine Scubatoys successful Carrollton, Texas, which besides hosted an introductory people earlier the 8 students and 2 instructors headed to a water astatine The Scuba Ranch.

Scubatoys and The Scuba Ranch are besides listed arsenic defendants successful the lawsuit.

In Armstrong's case, the suit stated that successful summation to his full-time occupation astatine the Collin County Sheriff's Office, helium worked arsenic a information guard. The suit said that the time earlier Dylan's class, Armstrong worked a afloat daytime displacement arsenic good arsenic a afloat overnight displacement astatine his 2nd job. By the clip helium got to the class, helium had "little oregon nary slumber successful the past 24 hours."

According to the lawsuit, erstwhile Armstrong and Roussel realized that Dylan had go separated from her classmates, Roussel brought the different students to enactment portion Armstrong searched connected land. Emergency unit were besides called, and "additional divers and unit astatine the Scuba Ranch" arrived to assistance successful the search.

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However, "Armstrong and Roussel were seen leaving the country and, erstwhile they returned, they were reportedly unhelpful successful guiding the hunt for [Dylan]. Consequently, the archetypal hunt was disorganized and inefficient, wasting invaluable time."

Local Fox affiliate KDFW reported that Armstrong resigned from his presumption astatine the Collin County Sheriff's Office successful October. Scubatoys closed its doors connected Jan. 31.

Armstrong was charged with felony wounded to a kid connected Friday. After helium was booked into the Kaufman County Jail, helium posted a $150,000 enslaved and was released. His adjacent tribunal day was not available.

Conrad Hoyt contributed to this report.