The 17-year-old from Louisiana was arrested on drug charges and is being held on $400,000 bail. Some think that's too much. | Dishes

On October 24, 17-year-old Myrese Collins' father was arrested and accused of illegally trafficking prescription drugs – and she was also arrested.

A judge set her bail at $400,000 and Collins has been in the St. James Parish Jail in Convent since then.

Now the parish justice system is under pressure from her family and activists who claim she is innocent and happened to be in the car when her father was arrested. They argue that the teenager, who is said to have a learning disability, should not remain behind bars while she awaits her day in court.

Collins' supporters held a vigil outside the prison on November 3 and repeatedly called for her release on social media.

“There are many things we need to fix in St. James Parish. There are many things we need to focus on,” said activist Syrita Steib in a recent Facebook livestream. “The system is definitely not working. Well, let me rephrase that: It’s about locking people up and making it difficult to get people out of the system.”

Steib and others say this case highlights deep flaws in the state's legal system after a law was passed earlier this year that treats 17-year-olds as adults in criminal courts.

A spokesman for the 23rd Judicial District Attorney's Office did not respond to requests for comment. St. James Parish Sheriff Claude Louis declined to comment on the case or discuss the progress of the arrests.

The reason for the arrest is suspected drug offenses

Collins was charged around 3 p.m. on Oct. 24 with offenses including distribution of Xanax, distribution of Klonopin, possession with intent to distribute tramadol and illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance.

Her father, Maurice Collins, 39, was charged about 8:30 p.m. the same day with possession with intent to distribute Xanax, Klonopin and Tramadol, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and illegally carrying a weapon in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance.

According to the St. James Parish Sheriff's Office inmate database, Judge Jason Verdigets set bail at $400,000 for Myrese Collins and $500,000 bail for her father.

Steib, a Vacherie native but now living in Metairie, is the founder of Operation Restoration, which supports women and girls affected by incarceration. She and relatives say Myrese Collins' father was driving her to her grandmother's house when the sheriff's office observed him making a drug transaction.

Steib argued that Myrese Collins' learning difficulties made the $400,000 bid particularly untenable.

“Her mother says she can't read or write and … her level of understanding was that of a second or third grader,” she said. “When I heard that, I thought, 'This is even more outrageous than I originally thought.' Because now we have a 17-year-old who is actually a child, a second or third grader, who is locked up because she was out with her father.”

Collins claimed that Maurice Collins neither took responsibility for the crime nor told police his daughter was innocent. He remains incarcerated in the parish jail and no attorney was listed for him in the St. James Parish Clerk of Court database last week.

Change in law

In April, a new law went into effect in Louisiana that treats 17-year-olds as adults in criminal courts. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 30-9 and the House of Representatives by a vote of 74-26, with five representatives absent.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Gov. Jeff Landry argued that the new law would combat violent crime.

“Today marks the beginning of a new justice system here in Louisiana. “Never again will 17-year-olds who commit home invasions, carjackings and robbing the great people of our state be treated like children in court,” he wrote. “They are criminals and today they are finally being treated as such.”

Six additional 17-year-olds have been arrested since the law was passed, according to records on the St. James Parish Sheriff's Office website. The alleged crimes included domestic violence, punching, theft and four counts of resisting an officer, according to arrest reports posted on the sheriff's website.

Resisting an officer, according to state law, can include anything from fleeing or physically resisting to not telling one's name to a deputy or refusing to move when asked by police.

Prayer vigil in front of the prison

On November 3, a few days before Collins' incarceration, Steib organized a candlelight vigil outside the detention center.

In front of about 150 people, Pastor Alvin Mulder Jr. of the Cathedral of Faith Church in New Orleans led the group in prayer.

“God knows exactly what he is doing. And sometimes you use one person to change an entire community, an entire community,” he said. “…I want my kids to understand, you know what, this isn't just for them and their family. This is our whole fight. It is our entire struggle… because it takes the village to raise a child.”

Myrese Collins' godmother, Tawanna Jones, urged everyone to continue praying in the coming days.

“On behalf of her mother and her family, we thank you all for everything and pray for Myrese. Keep asking God to keep his hands on her,” she said. “And it’s not over yet, because this is just the beginning. We will fight for every child out here who finds themselves in these situations.”

According to the St. James Parish Clerk of Court Office, a hearing is scheduled for Nov. 13 at 1:30 p.m. The family and lawyers hope the judge there will reduce their bail.