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Girl faces charges in failed drowning

A 9-year-old boy's older sister is accused of trying to drown him. He's recovered, his father says.

By GINA PACE
Published October 18, 2006

	Victoria Rupple is accused of trying to drown her brother.

WESLEY CHAPEL - A 15-year-old girl was arrested Monday on charges that she tried to drown her 9-year-old brother in the bathtub while she was babysitting him, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said.

It was a stunner to the children's father, Shane Rupple. He said there were no warning signs that Victoria would ever try to hurt Michael. In fact, he said, Victoria had always been protective of her little brother.

"It blew us away," he said. "It was a shocker to everybody."

According to reports, the scene on Aug. 6 unfolded like this:

Dorsey Guest, Shane Rupple's 16-year-old stepson, returned home to find the back sliding door open.

Michael was lying on the floor of the bathroom, a green rag tied around his neck.

Guest ran to a neighbor's house for help and to call 911. When the neighbor, Randy Black, and Guest returned to the bathroom, they found Michael having convulsions.

Michael was transported to the intensive care unit at St. Joseph's Hospital. He told deputies that he had been playing a game with Victoria when it turned violent. He said Victoria pushed him into a tub of water, placed a blanket on him and got on top of him, holding him down.

"You can only imagine what the 9-year-old was thinking," said Pasco sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin. "Probably a horrifying thing for any sibling to go through and have his older sister trying to drown him in the family bathtub."

Victoria then fled to Tampa where she hid out for 45 days, Tobin said. Shane Rupple distributed "missing girl" signs throughout the area.

One of those signs prompted a tip that led Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies to 8416 David Drive, where Victoria was staying. Rupple said he didn't know who his daughter was staying with.

When deputies found her Sept. 21, Victoria cut her wrists and right ankle with a small piece of glass. Hillsborough deputies took her into custody under the Baker Act, a provision that allows for people to be taken into custody for psychological evaluation.

She was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital, but, according to reports, her wounds were superficial. Shane Rupple said she was then taken to the Crisis Center in Tampa, where she remained until Monday.

Picking Victoria up from the center and taking her to an interview with Pasco Detective Mel Eakley was the only contact Shane Rupple had with his daughter since the incident.

According to reports, Victoria told the detective that she tried to drown her brother. She was charged with attempted murder and taken to the Pasco County Juvenile Detention Center, where she is being held without bail. Michael, meanwhile, has fully recovered from the attack, Shane Rupple said.

"He's out playing with the kids like normal," Rupple said. "He's getting good grades in school, I couldn't be happier that he's like a normal child."

Rupple said the family feels it's best that Michael not have any contact for the time being with his sister. The family has been through a lot - Victoria and Michael's mother died in 2003.

"She has a lot of mental issues that no one was aware of," Rupple said. "Thank god my stepson was home in time to find my little boy, or he wouldn't be around to enjoy his life."

Times staff writer Tom Lake and researchers Caryn Baird and Cathy Wos contributed to this report. Gina Pace can be reached at 352 521-6518 or gpace@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 18, 2006, 12:02:40]