Usher's son released from hospital after accident

ATLANTA -- The son of Grammy-winning R&B singer Usher has been released from the hospital after nearly drowning in an Atlanta pool, a lawyer for the boy's mother said Tuesday.

Five-year-old Usher Raymond V was released from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta-Scottish Rite on Sunday, lawyer Angela Kinley said. She said Tameka Foster Raymond, the singer's ex-wife, saw her son at school Monday when he attended orientation for the new year.

Police say the boy fell to the bottom of a pool behind the singer's downtown home Aug. 5 and became stuck in the drain.

A housekeeper tried unsuccessfully to free him. Two men who were working at the home as audio-visual subcontractors were called to help, and the boy was eventually pulled from the pool then given CPR by one of the contractors.

Usher said in a statement last week that contractors Eugene Stachurski and Ben Crews are "heroes" for saving his son's life.

A day after the incident, a judge scheduled an emergency custody hearing requested by Raymond. A filing by Raymond's lawyer said the boy "suffered a near-death accident" while unsupervised at Usher's home when the singer was out of town.

But the singer's lawyer said Usher's aunt, Rena Oden, was poolside watching the children when the boy became stuck in the drain. John Mayoue also said Usher was at a music studio nearby.

On Friday, Fulton County Superior Judge John Goger dismissed Raymond's request for temporary custody.

After the ruling, Usher approached his ex-wife, who broke down while testifying, and gave her a long hug.

Goger said he thought Raymond's standards for a caregiver were unusually high and pointed out that many people leave their children with family members.

Goger also advised the Usher, 34, to keep Raymond well advised of his whereabouts and who's taking care of the children.

Usher and Raymond married in 2007 and divorced two years later. After a lengthy battle, Usher was given primary custody of their boys, who are about a year apart in age.

The pool incident comes nearly a year after Raymond's 11-year-old son, Kile Glover, died of injuries suffered when he was run over by a personal watercraft on Lake Lanier, northeast of Atlanta.

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