The trial of a Tallulah physician accused of improperly writing prescriptions to feed his live-in girlfriend’s drug habit was delayed this morning after he checked himself into a hospital at the 11th hour.

Trial for Dr. Lawrence Francis Chenier III, 61, who lives in Vicksburg but practices medicine in Tallulah was set to begin this week but has been deployed after Chenier checked himself into Central Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

“Due to the proximity to the start of the trial, the state felt it was a delay on his part,” District Attorney Ricky Smith said. “We believe it was a ruse to avoid going to trial.”

Trial had been set to start Monday, and was initially delayed until this morning, Smith said, but is now slated to go next Monday.

On Monday, Smith said, the court heard a taped call to the Warren County Sheriff’s office tipping off investigators that Chenier planned to skip trial by checking into the hospital. The call was made Sept. 9, Smith said.

Circuit Judge M. James Chaney is expected to rule at 2 p.m. today if the 75 counts against Chenier are expected to be split into smaller portions. Defense attorney Lisa Ross of Jackson has said to try all 75 counts in a single trial would take up to a month. One of those counts is for conspiracy, and the other 74 are for prescription forgery.

Prosecutors say that before narcotics agents raided his home in 2011 Chenier wrote prescriptions for 13,000 pills of painkillers that were picked up by his live-in girlfriend, 43-year-old Pattie Carr at Battlefield Drugs near the home they share at 100 Colonial Drive.

Carr, who has pleaded guilty to five counts of prescription forgery but is yet to be sentenced, said Chenier did not know she was abusing the drugs.

Ross has argued in pre-trial hearings in open court that the pharmacy should be held criminally accountable for providing the large amount of drugs to Carr. Based on statements by defense counsel, the role the pharmacy played is expected to be brought into question during trial.