Man tried to drown baby at Orange County apartments, deputies say

Deputies investigate incident at Lake Sherwood Apartments

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man attempted to drown a 1-year-old Monday night in a pool at an apartment complex by holding the infant between his thighs until witnesses could wrestle the victim away, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

The incident happened around 10:25 p.m. at the Lake Sherwood Apartments off Apopka Vineland Road, north of Colonial Drive, near Orlando.

Deputies said Wilkens Ordena, 29, was upset that the child, who is a family member, was at his apartment so he grabbed the child and took him or her to the apartment's pool as he argued on the phone.

Fearing what Ordena might do, two family members followed him to the pool then jumped the fence and got in the water in case Ordena threw the child in, according to the report.

When Ordena threw the baby in, one of the family members caught the baby, cradled him or her and tried to get out of the water but Ordena jumped in and the two struggled over the baby, the affidavit said.

Deputies said Ordena held the baby between his thighs underwater and as that was happening, the other family member put Ordena in a choke hold long enough for someone to grab the baby and hand him or her to a bystander who'd heard the struggle and came to help.

The child was conscious when authorities arrived and did not appear to have any physical injuries but he or she was crying and vomiting, according to the affidavit.

Ordena drove off in a gray Chrysler that had previously been parked near the pool as authorities were on their way, the report said.

Deputies said the SUV struck an unoccupied patrol vehicle, rammed the gate and hit another patrol vehicle before exiting the complex onto North Apopka Vineland Road, where authorities were able to pull him over.

Wilkens Ordena is accused of assaulting law enforcement officers and attempted first-degree murder. (Image: OCSO)

Ordena is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a motor vehicle and fleeing and eluding authorities.

The victim and Ordena are related, but authorities are not identifying how they are related to protect the child's identity.

A judge on Tuesday ordered that Ordena be held without bond on the attempted murder charge and that he have no contact with family members, witnesses or anyone under the age of 18.

The bystanders who helped the family declined to speak about the incident publicly.

“We appreciate the offer and did what needed to be done and no recognition is required for doing what was right. With the investigation still going on we would not like to discuss details of our actions as this situation is still sensitive for the family,” they said in a statement.

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Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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