MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — There won't be any criminal charges filed in connection with the drowning of 14-year-old Mykiara Jones at the Land of Illusion Adventure Park, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones announced on Tuesday.
Mykiara died after being pulled from the water on July 20. In August, an investigator hired by the Butler County park also determined no laws were broken or regulations violated.
The report by Dan Wood of Industrial Safety Services said: “Land of Illusion follows all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations and in many areas has policies, practices and procedures that exceed the requirements of those regulations.”
But there are questions about how the park is regulated. Ohio State Representative Thomas Hall, who lives near the park, told the Journal-News a loophole allows the water park to operate without state regulations. Officials don’t oversee the park because it’s a pond.
The Butler County sheriff previously announced he would investigate complaints that Land of Illusion did not have certified lifeguards or rescue equipment and that the park did not enforce life vest rules.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture accused the park of operating an unlicensed inflatable on the grounds after Mykiara's death. The park opted to pay the $500 fine.
The Montgomery County coroner determined in September, more than a month after the incident, that Mykiara's death was an accidental drowning.
Sheriff Jones is not related to Mykiara.
