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Stamford Pool Company Chief David Lionetti Agrees To Plea In Child's Death

STAMFORD, CT (AP/CBSNewYork) - A swimming pool company president charged in a Connecticut boy's drowning has pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, a misdemeanor.

David Lionetti pleaded guilty Wednesday in Stamford Superior Court under an agreement that calls for no prison time.

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His company, Shoreline Pools, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and will pay $150,000 for water-safety advertisements.

Prosecutors allege Lionetti recklessly caused 6-year-old Zachary Cohn's death in 2007 in Greenwich, because his company failed to install a required safety device that would have prevented the boy's arm from getting stuck in a powerful pump drain.

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His attorney has said Lionetti was unaware of a 2004 law requiring the device.

Attorneys for both sides say they don't know of another case in which a pool company executive was criminally charged in an entrapment death.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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