According to the Morgan City Police Department, a Florida man was arrested following an investigation into a death that occurred in October of 2022.
Bretland Andrew Smith-Sawka, 34, of Vero Beach, FL, was arrested on a failure to seek assistance charge on Tuesday.
Officers with the Morgan City Police Department stated that in October 2022, they responded to the area of Roderick St. regarding a subject who had entered a room that did not belong to him. According to reports, the subject fell asleep on the bed.
Jeffery Pittman, 57, was approached by officers. Acadian Ambulance was called because the subject appeared to be having a medical emergency and needed to be transported to a local medical facility.
Pittman was examined by medical personnel, who determined that he had injuries consistent with head trauma. Pittman was taken to an out-of-town medical facility, where he died from his injuries.
Investigators from the Morgan City Police Department Detectives Division responded and discovered that Pittman was involved in some sort of altercation near Railroad Ave.
According to reports, the other person involved is Bretland Andrew Smith-Sawka. According to the evidence, Pittman was the aggressor in the altercation.
Smith-Sawka and Pittman were friends who knew each other. Pittman’s injuries were obvious and necessitated medical attention. The subjects left together and went to the Roderick Street area.
When Smith-Sawka arrived on Roderick Street, he was informed by another acquaintance that Pittman required medical attention and that he needed to transport him to the hospital. Smith-Sawka failed to do so, causing Pittman’s medical attention to be delayed. Arrest warrants were prepared for Smith-Sawka.
Smith-Sawka surrendered on the active warrant for his arrest on April 19, 2023. He was booked into the Morgan City Jail and is awaiting court. The bail amount was set at $35,000.