Judge: No cause to hold parents to bond

Published 12:00 am Thursday, May 12, 2005

VIDALIA &045; A parish judge found no probable cause Wednesday to hold Vidalia parents on their bond for charges of negligent homicide in the death of their son.

Tyrone Davis and Tamika S. Turner have been out on $25,000 bond since their January arrest, but those bond conditions will no longer be in effect.

The district attorney can still prosecute the case, though.

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The negligent homicide charges came shortly after a 1-year-old boy died in a Dale’s Alley mobile home fire on Dec. 13. The fire started in the bedroom where the child was sleeping while Davis and Turner were outside in the yard.

A 3-year-old girl was also injured in the fire.

After the incident, Vidalia Police Chief Billy Hammers said the fire was started by an electric heater.

Now, the district attorney will decide the next step, Assistant District Attorney Brad Burget said.

&uot;This doesn’t prevent the district attorney from prosecuting the case,&uot; Burget said. &uot;The judge didn’t hear the full meat of the case today.&uot;

An investigator from the VPD testified before Judge Leo Boothe in Wednesday’s preliminary examination for the prosecution and defense attorney Derrick Carson called two witnesses.

Burget said the DA’s office can now either not process the case, file a bill of information or take the case to a grand jury.

A bill of information and the grand jury can result in the issuing of arrest warrants.

The charge of negligent homicide in Louisiana carries a penalty of up to five years in jail, a $5,000 fine or both.