Woman accused of groping boys at public pool says she was drowning, Oklahoma cops say

An Oklahoma woman accused of groping two boys at a public swimming pool told officers she was drowning – but that’s not what witnesses saw, according to police.

Officers responded to the Eagle Harbor Aquatic Center, in Del City, after two boys called 911 and said a woman there was following them around, touching them inappropriately and making sexually charged remarks, a police department spokesman told McClatchy News in a July 24 phone interview. They also said the woman tried to pull off their clothing, police said.

This was the second day the woman, later identified as 28-year-old Kayla Lena, had done this, the children told officers.

The boys were 12 and 13 years old, and Lena is accused of sex crimes against children, KWTV reported. Lena continually pursued the boys, “touching them in the groin and buttocks,” all while children and parents swam nearby, according to court documents obtained by the station.

Prior to officers arriving at the scene, lifeguards were alerted to Lena’s behavior and she was kicked out of the pool. Police found her standing outside the facility.

When officers confronted her, Lena denied doing anything inappropriate to the boys and that it was a misunderstanding, police said. Lena said she thought she was drowning and may have grabbed one or both of the boys to stop herself from going under, police said. However, witnesses at the pool painted a different picture of what happened.

“It was very clear based off of the witnesses that we talked to … that she had made inappropriate gestures to (the boys), had attempted to touch them in inappropriate places and, at one point, tried to remove some of their clothing,” the department spokesman said.

She was arrested and jailed on June 30, police said. Court documents show her bond was set at $100,000 on July 2, and felony charges were filed against her on July 23.

Del City is located to the southeast of downtown Oklahoma City.

This story was originally published July 24, 2024 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Woman accused of groping boys at public pool says she was drowning, Oklahoma cops say."