Eric Lewis Baker

KOSCIUSKO — A Silver Lake man is facing charges after allegedly stealing a handgun from his employer and later battering a female.

Eric Lewis Baker, 39, 303 N. Jefferson St., Silver Lake, is being charged with theft, a level 6 felony; strangulation, a level 6 felony; and domestic battery, a class A misdemeanor. 

According to the affidavit of probable cause, on May 11, an officer with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of theft at Ab & Tom’s Auto Care in Warsaw. The officer spoke with the owner of the business, who advised that on May 9 he noticed his Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun had been stolen from the business. He stated that he knew the gun was at the business in March 2019. He stated he believed an employee may have stolen the handgun.

On May 12 a female reported a domestic battery occurring at her residence. A law enforcement officer met with the female, who advised that she and Baker got into an argument. The female said Baker drug her out of the bedroom, pinned her to the floor and put his hand over her mouth. She reported that she was unable to breathe. 

The female said that while Baker was battering her, he told her he would kill her and feed her to the hogs. The officer observed cuts on the female’s foot, lips, arms and left knee. The female said her injuries occurred from the battery. 

While the officer was speaking with the female, she informed him that Baker admitted to her that he stole a handgun from Ab & Tom’s Auto Care. She advised he took the gun to Fort Wayne and traded it for drugs.

The female provided a description of the handgun, which matched the description given by the owner at Ab & Tom’s. 

Baker was booked at the Kosciusko County Jail Tuesday, May 21, on a $5,250 surety and cash bond.