Staff Report

Michael Paul Baker

SYRACUSE — More information has been released on the arrest of a Cromwell man who allegedly swung an axe at people and stole a truck.

Michael Paul Baker, 39, 1034 S. Circle Drive West, Cromwell, is charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon, a level 5 felony; auto theft and criminal recklessness, both level 6 felonies; and leaving the scene of an accident and criminal mischief, both class B misdemeanors.

On Aug. 9, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a report of a man swinging an axe at someone at a home on SR 13. The suspect, later identified as Baker, then stole a pickup truck and rammed into a vehicle before leaving in the stolen truck.

According to court documents, a man said Baker picked up a double head axe and swung it at him, hitting railing about one to two feet from him. Baker then swung the axe at another man and hit a nearby vehicle with the axe.

Law enforcement agencies set up a perimeter, located the stolen pickup truck, and used a drone to locate Baker, who was found hiding approximately 25 feet up in a tree.

Baker told police a man forced him to work and would not allow him to go in a residence to sleep. He said he grabbed what he thought was a stick and swung it around because he felt threatened and needed his space. Baker also told police he “blacked out” and was trying to escape the home.

Baker was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Aug. 10.