OXFORD, Ohio -- No one will be cited or criminally charged for the makeshift pool where an Elder High School graduate and Wright State freshman suffered a traumatic injury over the weekend, city officials said Monday.
Ryan Custer remains hospitalized at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He was in the shallow pool Saturday afternoon, attending a crowded house party not far from Miami University.
Custer tried to jump into the water between someone's legs, Oxford Police Sgt. Ryan Sikora said. The pool, made of straw bales and a tarp, had between 6 and 10 inches of water and a slide contraption.
Because the pool was considered temporary -- similar to a child's inflatable pool -- it didn't violate any city codes, according to Jung-Han Chen, director of Oxford's Community Development Department.
Oxford police also don't expect to file any charges for the pool.
"We made an underage arrest which was tied to the party at the time, but as far as being related to the makeshift pool and stuff, no, we don't have anything pending," Oxford Police Sgt. Jon Varley said.
Ryan Custer just finished his freshman season with the Wright State Raiders. (Photo courtesy Journal-News)
As of Monday, Custer could shake his head to answer yes-or-no questions, his family wrote on Facebook, and he can feel his thumbs to the touch.
"The doctors think it is best to keep his breathing tube in for a couple more days to make sure he will be taking deep strong breaths on his own," they wrote.
Wright State teammates and Elder friends decorated the walls of Custer’s hospital room with banners, posters and photo collages Monday. He graduated from Elder last spring, and he just completed his first season at Wright State. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 9.8 minutes in 32 games this season. He had a season-high nine points against the University of Illinois at Chicago Feb. 24.
Custer is from Delhi Township, and his family is part of Our Lady of Victory Catholic parish.
