CHP: Child drowns in Deep Creek after drunken dad flips SUV

APPLE VALLEY • A 14-month-old boy died after his drunken father drove into Deep Creek Monday night, causing his vehicle to overturn in 9 feet of water, California Highway Patrol officials said.

Around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Apple Valley resident Hunter Kennan Kilmer, 23, was driving his modified 1987 Suzuki Samurai off-road near Deep Creek, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Kilmer attempted to cut through the water near the Saddle Dike Embankment, apparently unaware of how deep the water was. The Suzuki dropped off an embankment and submerged, rolling through the water before coming to rest on its roof, 9 feet below the surface, according to officials.

Kilmer and his passenger, Justin Rivera, were able to escape, but they could not save Kilmer’s child, Ford Lewis Kilmer, who was trapped in the sport utility vehicle and drowned.

Ford was still strapped into his car seat when the Suzuki was pulled from the water, according to Stella Hodson, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Victor Valley station. A sheriff’s dive team assisted the CHP in retrieving the child and getting the vehicle out of the creek.

Kilmer showed “signs of intoxication” at the scene, according to CHP spokesman Joaquin Zubieta, and was booked at Victor Valley Jail for felony driving under the influence and manslaughter.

“Even if someone is familiar with an area, they can never be certain about current conditions,” said Ryan Beckers, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, referring to recent rains that have swollen the creek. “We advise to never take those risks, especially when children and alcohol are involved. It’s just a recipe for disaster.”

Police have stopped Kilmer four times for motor vehicle violations since 2008 (one charge was later dismissed). In May of this year, he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and resisting a police officer.

To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755, 1-800-553-2006 or click here.

Daily Press staff writer Beatriz E. Valenzuela contributed to this report.

Beau Yarbrough can be reached at (760) 956-7108 or at beau@hesperiastar.com.