Apparently, the "Family Guy" is no laughing matter at St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.
A picture of the animated television show's diabolical, British-accented baby, Stewart Gilligan "Stewie" Griffin, has hospital officials, well, stewing.
Three hospital workers were placed on administrative leave Tuesday after a security camera caught them inserting a picture of Stewie onto the wall space formerly occupied by a photo of recently departed St. Vincent chief operating officer Rick Crabtree.
"It was just meant to be a joke," said technician Mary Smith, one of the employees involved in the incident.
The choice of a bald baby with a football-shaped head and a hunger for world domination wasn't meant to be statement about Crabtree.
"There was no evil intent," Smith said. "I know Stewie is a bad guy, but it was just a cute little picture."
The trio pulled the prank Monday night after finishing up a 12-hour shift, she said. They found a picture of Stewie and thought it would be funny to put it up in the hospital lobby.
A meeting between the workers and hospital personnel officials to discuss the prank is scheduled for today.
St. Vincent spokesman Arturo Delgado declined to comment on the matter, noting, "It's a personnel issue. We can't comment."
Delgado also confirmed that Crabtree is no longer employed at the hospital, but declined to comment further on that matter as well. Smith said she and other hospital employees have been given very little information about Crabtree's recent departure.
St. Vincent recently completed a merger with the Christus health care group, a Roman Catholic nonprofit that operates numerous hospitals in other states.
