RSS Feed

Two local people face attempted murder charges after a 9-month-old was hospitalized with what the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office called “forcible injuries.”

Devin Fabian Metrejean, 30, Morgan City, and Bonnie Claar Tallada, 29, Patterson, were arrested at 7:20 p.m. Thursday on warrants alleging attempted second-degree murder. Tallada was also named on an obstruction of justice charge.
.
On May 5, a Parish Sheriff’s Office detective was assigned to continue the investigation into a child abuse case. A 9-month-old infant was hospitalized with forcible injuries.
.
Through the investigation, Tallada, mother of the child, and Metrejean, Tallada’s boyfriend, were developed as suspects in the case. As the case progressed, evidence was obtained showing that Tallada had taken actions to obstruct the progress of the case, the Sheriff’s Office said.

.Warrants were obtained for both Metrejean and Tallada. They were taken to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center. Bail was set at $150,000 for Metrejean. Bail has not be set for Tallada.

.

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the Police Department at 985-380-4605.
Wednesday, May 10
7:22 a.m. 800 block of Levee Road; Domestic.
7:33 a.m. 300 block of Grizzaffi Street; Discharging firearms.
8:07 a.m. 600 block of General Hodges Street; Animal complaint.
8:53 a.m. 2000 block of Allison Street; Animal complaint.
8:57 a.m. 7500 block of La. 182; Vehicle accident.
8:58 a.m. 300 block of Orange Street; Disturbance.
9:50 a.m. 10 block of Glenwood Street; Juvenile problem.
9:54 a.m. 700 block of Justa Street; Alarm.
11:04 a.m. 500 block of Brashear Avenue; Theft.
12:49 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Fight.
2:30 p.m. 100 block of Eleventh Street; Alarm.
2:33 p.m. 700 block of Marshall Street; Complaint.
2:57 p.m. 2300 block of Tupelo Street; Medical.
3:13 p.m. 900 block of Fig Street; Remove subject.
4:07 p.m. 2700 block of Pecan Street; Civil matter.
4:15 p.m. 700 block of Terrebonne Street; Simple assault.
4:20 p.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Medical .
6:03 p.m. 900 block of Levee Road; Animal complaint.
6:14 p.m. La. 70/U.S. 90; Accident.
8:59 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Harassment.
9:17 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Assistance.
9:24 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Welfare check.
9:28 p.m. St. Claire/Second streets; Stalled vehicle.
10:38 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Drunk.
10:52 p.m. Mallard Street; Simple Battery.
11:25 p.m. 200 block of Mallard Street; Fire.
Thursday, May 11
1:25 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
2:14 a.m. Front/Greenwood streets; Suspicious person.
2:58 a.m. 200 block of Mallard Street; Subject removal.
5:15 a.m. 700 block of Belanger Street; Medical.
5:46 a.m. 2300 block of Tupelo Street; Medical.
7:13 a.m. 300 block of Mallard Street; Complaint.
7:25 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Theft.
7:52 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Drunk.
8:18 a.m. 100 block of Oak Street; Theft.
9:31 a.m. 200 block of Mallard Street; Complaint.
9:37 a.m. 100 block of Montana Street; Animal complaint.
10:29 a.m. 2100 block of Cedar Street; Complaint.
10:56 a.m. 1100 block of Eighth Street; Patrol request.
11:03 a.m. Railroad Avenue/west of Halsey Street; Traffic incident.
11:16 a.m. 2400 block of Pecan Street; Civil matter.
1:50 p.m. 100 block of Wren Street; Medical.
2:23 p.m. 200 block of Chennault Street; Animal complaint.
2:25 p.m. 7100 block of La. 182; Complaint.
2:29 p.m. La. 70/under bridge; Stalled vehicle.
2:32 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.
2:48 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
3:03 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
3:42 p.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Theft.
4:13 p.m. 800 block of Victor II Boulevard; Alarm.
4:47 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
5:22 p.m. 600 block of Terrebonne Street; Telephone harassment.
9:08 p.m. Woodland Road; Suspicious vehicle.
9:24 p.m. 100 block of Wren Street; Medical.
10:08 p.m. 500 block of Egle Street; Patrol request.
10:46 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
10:52 p.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Loud music.
11:18 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Narcotics complaint.
Friday, May 12
2:02 a.m. Welcome Center; Suspicious vehicle.
4:22 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Theft.

The St. Mary Parish Council on Wednesday gave its approval to calls for elections by both parish hospital districts, including a new 5-mill tax that Hospital Service District No. 2 hopes will bring labor and delivery services back to Ochsner St. Mary.

The council also approved a call for a millage renewal for Hospital Service District No. 1, which covers the western parish and operates Bayou Bend Health System in Franklin. All the hospital elections would be Oct. 14 if the State Bond Commission approves.
Ochsner Health operates the Morgan City hospital under lease with Hospital Service District No. 2, which includes the parish east of the Calumet Cut.

On April 1, the system announced that it would end non-emergency obstetrical service at Ochsner St. Mary, citing an aging population and what it characterized as a small number of births.

The system said the volume of deliveries makes it impossible to staff the obstetrics unit at a level adequate to maintain safe and quality care.
Ochsner is consolidating its regional labor and delivery services at Ochsner St. Anne, raising concerns about the long drive for women in labor to Raceland or hospitals in Franklin, Houma or Thibodaux.

The hospital district’s solution is the new property tax, which is expected to raise about $2 million a year for 10 years. The money would be used to “improve, maintain, and operate hospital and other health care facilities in the District, to include providing and supporting labor and delivery and pediatric services, physician recruitment, and community outreach.”

The district also hopes to ask voters to rededicate existing money from a tax no longer being collected. That amounts to $719,000, currently restricted to facilities and equipment, that would be redirected toward reopening labor and delivery services.

Dr. William Cefalu, who practices at the hospital and chairs the district board, said the district’s partnership with Ochsner has been positive, especially during recent hurricanes and the COVID pandemic.

The end of labor and delivery services is “the first thing we’ve had, and it’s been a big blow.”

The hospital needs three obstetricians, but when services were terminated there was only one, Dr. Julie Price. And that meant fewer deliveries at the hospital, Cefalu said.

Council members questioned the wording of the new-tax proposition with its language about maintaining and improving hospital facilities. Cefalu said he wants to be clear that the goal is to recruit physicians and other staffers to reopen labor and delivery services.

The district’s legal counsel, William Bourgeois, said the district’s bond counsel insists the language about operation and maintenance must be in the proposition to meet legal requirements.

The system is hoping for 30 deliveries per month, Cefalu said. When Ochsner announced the end of labor and delivery services, it said the Morgan City hospital delivered about 200 babies per year, or about 17 per month.

Ochsner CEO Peter November and regional CEO Fernis LeBlanc have made verbal commitments to work with the district to bring back labor and delivery, Cefalu said. In the meantime, Ochsner is offering training to make sure emergency room personnel and other staffers can deal with emergency births in Morgan City.

If the tax propositions pass, Cefalu said, the district may be able to bring labor and delivery services back at some level while physician recruitment begins.

The new tax would cost the average homeowner $14-$40 per year, according to the district. “It’s going to cost more to fill up your gas,” Cefalu said.

He and board member Angelena Brocato said attracting young families to St. Mary Parish will depend in part on the availability of primary care, including obstetrics.

“This is the skin in the game for the hospital and the community,” Brocato said.

Hospital Service District No. 1 in Franklin is asking for renewal of a 3.1-mill tax that raises about $647,000 annually.

BATON ROUGE – A bill that would have added exceptions to Louisiana’s abortion ban for cases of rape and incest was rejected Wednesday by the House Criminal Justice Committee.

After hours of emotional testimony on both sides of the issue, lawmakers shot down the measure in a 10-5 vote, marking another blow to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ legislative agenda.

Pro-choice witnesses said that the current abortion ban, one of the strictest in the nation, would force young girls who are victims of rape to carry potentially dangerous pregnancies to term. They emphasized the possible negative mental health effects of being forced to carry a rapists’ child.

Several of the witnesses, including the bill’s author, Rep. Delisha Boyd, D-New Orleans, shared their own experiences with rape. Boyd said her mother became pregnant with her at 15 years old as the result of a rape. She said her mother struggled for years before dying at age 28.

In hindsight, Boyd said she understands the depth of her mother’s struggles and could not imagine forcing a young girl to go through the same thing.

“No one looked out for my mother,” Boyd said. “No one looked out for me when I was born.”

Boyd acknowledged the deeply personal, emotionally charged decision to keep a pregnancy. But she said it is not her right to make the decision for other people.

Morgan Lamandre, chief executive and president of Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response, a victims’ advocacy group, suggested Louisiana’s strict abortion ban has created an instinct in women to travel to another state for an abortion instead of taking time to weigh the decision and potentially choosing to carry the pregnancy to term.

Anti-abortion witnesses often struck a religious tone and argued that abortions are not a way to heal from the trauma of a rape. Some said abortions are a violation of a woman’s body and referred to abortion as a “second rape.”

Anti-abortion activist Debbie Melvin equated abortion to the death penalty and said it cannot bring healing to survivors of rape. She said a baby conceived from rape, however, could bring healing.

“A baby is the only beautiful thing that can come out of a rape,” Melvin said.

Pro-choice activists, however, argued that the trauma of an abortion is not greater than the trauma from an unwanted pregnancy and birth.

Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-Orleans, repeatedly urged the committee members to consider how they would feel if their young daughter was raped by a “big monster” and became pregnant.

“In that case, we have to have some kind of leniency,” Knox said.

“I would give any compromise on any bill that comes before this body in favor of this exception,” he added.

Republican committee members were mostly silent during the debate, and all of them voted against the exceptions. The votes for the bill came from four Democrats and a political independent.