Parents of children killed in Arizona flood to be sentenced

By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A prosecutor pushed back on the idea that an Arizona couple who drove through a flooded wash simply misperceived the danger. Prosecutor Bradley Soos said Thursday that the couple made a series of bad decisions that led to the deaths of their two children and niece. He urged a Gila County judge to sentence Daniel Rawlings, who was driving, to prison time. Rawlings’ wife, Lacey, is expected to receive probation on several child abuse charges. The Rawlings drove a military-style vehicle around a barricade and got stuck in Tonto Creek, northeast of Phoenix in November 2019. The couple and four children survived, but the three other children with them died.