The man accused of neglecting to take a two-month-old baby to the hospital for nearly two weeks had his preliminary hearing last week. 

Arron St. Onge is charged with child abuse because he reportedly left the two-month-old twins he was responsible for in the care of others and one sustained a broken femur. St. Onge reportedly did not take the injured baby to the hospital for 12 days. St. Onge had a preliminary hearing in General Sessions Court and was represented by the Public Defender’s Office. The state was represented by Assistant District Attorney Daniel Barnes. Barnes called McMinnville Police Department Detective Katelyn Cannon as the first witness. 

Cannon testified that she came into contact with St. Onge on Christmas Eve when she received a call from patrol stating a two-month-old came into the ER with a broken femur. When she arrived, St. Onge was there and she had a conversation with him regarding what happened. 

“He gave what he thought happened, I guess you could say,” said Cannon. “He said he left them with two babysitters. They were identified as Malcom and Devin Green. He said he went out with a girlfriend and had been gone for about 24 hours. He said when he got home, the babies were in the car seat and that Devin and Malcom had already put them in the car seat. St. Onge then carried them out and put them in the car.”

The two-month-old twins were left at a residence on Rebel Hill Street with Malcom and Devin Green. Cannon says the Green brothers are not local and are mutual friends of St. Onge. Cannon said St. Onge told her he then drove to McGowan, Tenn. and that is when he noticed something was wrong with the baby’s leg. 

“When he got there, he noticed the baby’s leg was swollen. The next day (Dec. 12) I guess he had court and he took the baby by to see his mother. The mother noticed the leg was swelling and told him to take her to the doctor,” said Cannon. 

“So this was 12 days before the baby was taken to the hospital?” asked Barnes. 

Cannon said it was 12 days before St. Onge took the child to get medical care. St. Onge reportedly claimed he thought the baby’s leg would get better on its own. 

“He also told me he believed the child’s leg was dislocated, but that it would get better,” she said. 

Cannon testified that St. Onge went to see his mother again on Dec. 23. At this point, he had still not taken the baby to the hospital. She said the mother told him to get in the car and take the baby to the ER.

“Did he say any reason why he didn’t take the baby to the hospital?” asked Barnes. 

“He knew that Department of Child Services (DCS) and police would get involved and he didn’t want the kids taken away and he didn’t want law enforcement involved because of his use of drugs,” said Cannon.

Barnes asked Cannon what injuries the baby sustained. 

“Her femur was broken. It was completely snapped in two,” said Cannon. 

Public Defender John Partin then cross-examined Cannon. He asked if everything she testified to was based on information given to her by St. Onge. She said it was. 

“Was he Mirandized prior to being questioned?” asked Partin. 

“No. At the time he was free to leave. He was not detained. It was just a casual conversation we were having,” said Cannon. 

“It was a casual conversation that ended in his arrest,” said Partin. 

“That is how it ended, yes,” said Cannon. 

Partin asked at what point in the conversation she decided she was going to be taking a warrant against him. Cannon said, “At the end of our conversation, I had no choice but to.” She said she spoke with other officers and also made the decision based on his lack of a permanent address. She said she could not wait because she feared it would be hard to locate St. Onge. 

Cannon said the investigation into what happened to the two-month-old is still ongoing. She testified that she spoke with the Green brothers, but has since not been able to contact them. Partin asked if the children were in the custody and care of multiple people during the time period she was injured and Cannon said they were. The Green brothers were reportedly the last ones with the children when the baby was injured. 

Partin asked where the mother of the children were and Cannon said she is incarcerated. 

“Has he ever been declared the legitimate father of these children?” asked Partin. 

“No. There is a possibility there is another male that may be the father,” said Cannon. 

Cannon said there was an agreement that St. Onge would watch the twins. DCS was already involved and they authorized the children being left in his care. In a second interview, St. Onge reportedly provided Cannon with multiple names and contacts of people who may have information. Many of these people have “street names.” 

Barnes had redirect questions for Cannon. 

“Did he admit that he was in fact guilty of neglecting that child?” asked Barnes. 

Cannon said he did. 

“And he said he knew the child needed to go to the hospital and multiple people told him to take the child to the hospital and he did not, is that correct?” asked Barnes. 

Cannon agreed. Partin had an opportunity to comment and said, “He offered you a reason. It may not have been the best reason in the world, but he offered you a reason.”

General Sessions Judge Ryan J. Moore said the state met its burden of proof and bound the case over to the grand jury. St. Onge was also sentenced to 60 days in jail for a violation of probation.