BATON ROUGE - This month, 2 On Your Side has heard from several people about the condition of properties owned by Collis Temple, after a blind man in a wheelchair was found to be living in a house owned by him. One of the properties was up for emergency condemnation Wednesday night at Metro Council but was never heard after a council member objected.

The property in the 5400 block of Longfellow Drive caught fire in January. Baton Rouge Fire investigators have ruled the cause to be arson but no suspect has been identified.

Wednesday night, the same property was brought up for discussion at the Metro Council meeting for emergency condemnation due to it being in a "dangerous, dilapidated condition, endangering public welfare." A motion to waive the rules was objected to by Metro Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman and the emergency condemnation was not heard by the council.

The property is large, once made up of several apartment units. It has no roof, no doors, it's completely open. It had no electricity in January, according to a woman who says she had been living there at the time of the fire.

"Ain't nobody had no lights," she said.

Baton Rouge Police Department responded to the address on January 1, 2025, for a homicide investigation. Terry Wayne Jones, 35, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene.

The building is owned by CEG, Inc., a Collis Temple property. The one next to it in the 3100 block of Riley Street is also owned by CEG, Inc. The building is boarded up and the surrounding property is littered with debris and discarded furniture.

Baton Rouge Fire Department says it also caught fire in October last year. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. According to the city, the Riley Street property was left unsecured for weeks following the fire. A judge gave the property owner 30 days to change that, but it was the city that hired a contractor to board it up in January.

The city plans to bring up the Longfellow Drive property again in March for regular condemnation. Thursday, 2 On Your Side spoke with Carolyn Coleman and Collis Temple on the phone, but they were in meetings at the time and said they'd call back. The calls were not returned.