TV Weatherman Brutal Assault on Girlfriend as Her Kids Slept Nearby

A well-known Louisiana meteorologist is facing disturbing allegations after police say he broke into his girlfriend’s home and violently attacked her while her children were just steps away.

48-year-old Devon Lucie, the recently appointed chief meteorologist for WDSU-TV, was arrested Sunday night in Jefferson Parish. He faces charges of domestic abuse, child endangerment, and resisting an officer after allegedly refusing to identify himself during his arrest, according to police records reviewed by NOLA.com.

Lucie had only been promoted to chief meteorologist in August, stepping into a high-profile role previously held for more than four decades by the beloved station veteran Margaret Orr. The promotion marked what appeared to be the peak of Lucie’s career — a position earned after nearly 30 years on-air at stations across the country, from Arizona to Florida.

Now, his reputation is in ruins.

The shocking incident unfolded Sunday evening after Lucie and his longtime girlfriend attended a local festival in Gretna, a small city just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. According to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the couple got into an argument at the event and left separately.

The woman’s mother drove her home, but investigators say Lucie showed up at her door hours later. When she refused to let him in, he allegedly forced his way through the door, starting a heated argument that quickly turned violent.

Deputies say Lucie left, only to return minutes later and beat his girlfriend while her two young children slept nearby in the living room.

“She told deputies she fought back in self-defense,” according to the police report, which described her injuries as “several small cuts and scratches on her upper body” and “welts on her forehead and face.”

Lucie’s mugshot showed fresh scratches running along both sides of his nose, and deputies noted that he refused to wash off the blood or provide his name and date of birth when taken into custody.

In a brief statement, WDSU confirmed Lucie had been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. “We take these allegations very seriously,” the station said. “We are cooperating with law enforcement and reviewing the matter.”

Lucie, who has two children of his own, joined the New Orleans NBC affiliate after stints at eight stations nationwide since earning his degree from Western Illinois University in 1997.

News of the arrest has sent shockwaves through the local broadcasting community, where Lucie was known as a personable forecaster and a visible face during hurricane coverage.

“People trusted him — he was on our screens every night,” said one longtime viewer from Metairie. “To hear this is just devastating.”