On August 27, 2023 the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested Garrett Baker, DOB: 12/17/87, for multiple charges starting with allegedly car jacking of a 81 yr old grandmother bringing food to someone home bound with cancer. Then he allegedly stole from his mother and sister. Eventually he attacked & robbed two other people with a screw driver. After being arrested Baker temporarily escaped custody while at the Polk County Sheriff’s Offices processing center. He never got out of the facility, just had an opportunity to gain additional charges.
Here is a large unedited, but redacted portion of the arrest affidavit. (It should be noted that this is an unedited report of facts by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. These facts are up for question and everyone is entitled to question the validity of facts by law enforcement in a court of law. The Daily Ridge does not rewrite these facts as some meanings or interpretations could be in error and change context. We hope readers appreciate being able to read the information and come to their own understanding and conclusions. A suspect is considered innocent until found guilty by a jury of peers.) :
“On August 27, 2023, I responded to REDACTED Hillgrade Road in Mulberry, Florida in reference to a stolen vehicle investigation. Upon arrival, contact was made with the victim (REDACTED). Detective Quintana #7766 conducted a sworn recorded interview with REDACTED and she advised him the following:
During the interview. REDACTED advised she was delivering food to her friends as part of a church gathering.
REDACTED arrived to REDACTED Hillgrade Road to deliver food to REDACTED. REDACTED arrived in her 2018 Toyota Camry bearing Florida tag REDACTED. Accompanying REDACTED was her granddaughter later identified as REDACTED. After REDACTED completed her delivery, she returned to her vehicle and had the driver side door open. While REDACTED was preparing to move on to her next stop, the suspect (Garrett Baker) approached her vehicle and attempted to forcefully remove her from it. When Garrett attempted to remove REDACTED from her vehicle, he willfully and unlawfully grabbed her against her will by holding onto her arm and shoulder while pulling her out her vehicle. REDACTED advised she has never met Garrett before in her life and she was in fear for her life when he was holding her against her will. REDACTED advised she never gave anyone permission to use or take her vehicle and she was touched against her will by Garrett. After Garrett pulled REDACTED from her vehicle, he shoved her down to the ground causing a minor injury to her left knee cap. After Garrett forcefully removed REDACTED from her vehicle, REDACTED got out from the passenger seat to attend to her injured grandmother. Then Garrett fled the scene in REDACTED vehicle. It should be noted REDACTED is 81 vears of age.
On August 26, 2023 at approximately 0800 hours, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued executive order number 23-171 placing 33 Florida counties under a state of emergency. Polk County was listed within those 33 counties.
When Garrett was at this scene he committed the offense of burglary of an occupied conveyance during state of emergency, burglary with a battery, battery on a person 65 years or older, carjacking, and grand theft of a motor vehicle.
After Garrett fled the scene located at REDACTED Hillgrade Road, he arrived to his sister’s (REDACTED) residence, REDACTED Anderson Road, Mulberry. When Garrett arrived to the residence located at REDACTED Anderson Road, he willfully and unlawfully drove the vehicle onto the structure. The vehicle collided with the residence and was immediately disabled. Garrett got out of the driver’s seat, equipped himself with a brick from the front garden, and threw the brick at the front bedroom window of the residence. This action caused the window to break open allowing Garrett access to the residence. At the time of the incident, the residence was unoccupied because REDACTED was out on vacation. Garrett gained access to the house by crawling through the broken window and he made entry into the kitchen area of the residence. While Garrett was inside the residence he located a dirt bike in the kitchen and took it in an attempt to steal it. Garrett came back outside the residence with the dirt bike and went to his mother’s residence located at REDACTED Anderson Road which is on the same property as his sisters.
Once Garrett arrived to his mother’s residence he willfully and unlawfully entered her residence by breaking a window and crawling through it. Garrett then entered a gun room in the residence and armed himself with a shotgun, he then fired multiple shots inside the residence. Garrett then exits the residence with the shotgun he took from his mother’s residence and came back to REDACTED property. Once back on the property he took other miscellaneous items and loaded the items on the back of a Kawasaki V-Twin 800 side-by-side. Garrett then wonders the property and locates a grinder tool. With the grinder tool he attempts to gain access to a shed and was unsuccessful. Garrett then forces entry into a detached garage located on the Northside of the property.
Garrett first attempted to pry the door, but ended up gaining access by kicking the door open. After Garrett gained access, he did not take any property from this garage but he caused damage to the door for prying it open.
Garrett then returned to the side-by-side and attempted to start it but it wouldn’t. Garrett then placed the grinder onto the front driver side wheel of the side-by-side causing damage to the tire and disabling it.
A sworn recorded interview with homeowners REDACTED (sister) and REDACTED (mother) confirmed
Garrett did not have permission to enter their residence while they were not at home and he did not have permission to cause damage to take property.
PCSO CIC advised Garrett has 4 felony convictions: 12/2008 Fleeing to Elude Law Enforcement. 12/2018
Aggravated Fleeing to Elude Law Enforcement, 6/2020 Prior Conviction second Battery Conviction, 10/2022
Tampering with a witness.
At this incident location, Garrett committed the offence of leaving the scene of a crash, criminal mischief, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling during a state of emergency, grand theft, armed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft of a firearm, and felon in possession of a firearm.
Garrett while armed with the shotgun, walked into the wood line behind the property and made his way to REDACTED Hillgrade Road in Mulberry, Florida. When Garrett arrived at the property, he entered a dwelling at the rear of the property that was being used as a residence. While Garrett was in there he located a backpack and cellphone and stole it from within the residence. Garrett came outside and made his way into a Chevy Colorado pickup truck parked on the property. Garrett willfully entered the truck and broke open the panel underneath the steering wheel and attempted to hotwire the truck.
While Garrett was in the truck, REDACTED and REDACTED arrived to the property after a trip to home depot. REDACTED and REDACTED are custodians of the property and are responsible for the care if it. When REDACTED and REDACTED approached the truck, Garrett observed them and with a screwdriver in hand attempted to attack them. Garrett later advised post Miranda that his goal was to stab both subjects. At first Garrett attempted to stab REDACTED to cause bodily harm to him but he focused his attention to REDACTED after REDACTED screamed at REDACTED to call the police. Garrett ran to REDACTED and managed to stab him on his side with a screwdriver. This action was done with a deadly weapon and have the capability to cause great bodily harm or death to both REDACTED and REDACTED.
REDACTED made it down the street to REDACTED Hillgrade Road where law enforcement was on scene working the incident of the vehicle theft. REDACTED informed the deputies on scene what was going on and they responded.
Deputies located Garrett inside the Chevy Colorado truck attempting to start it. Once Garrett observed law enforcement was on scene he attempted to flee the area on foot. The responding deputies were wearing clear identifiers and gave loud verbal command to Garrett to stop. Garrett ignored these commands and he was apprehended by a K-9 and taken into custody without further incident.
At this scene Garrett committed the offense of Burglary of an unoccupied structure, criminal mischief, petit theft, attempted grand theft of a motor vehicle, 2 counts of attempted murder, and resisting officer without violence.
It should be noted Garrett has an active risk protection order for a disturbance with a shotgun from March 2023. This risk protection order wasserved post his arrest on 08/28/2023.
Garrett was arrested and charged with the above offenses. He was later transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center without further incident.”
After being taken to Polk County Processing Center Garrett temporarily escaped custody. Here is that affidavit:
“The defendant is charged with escape, burglary and theft for the following:
-The defendant was taken into custody on unrelated charges under Polk County Sheriff’sOffice case #23-35110.
•The defendant was inside the temporary holding area of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Central Jail, awaiting to be transported to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office South Jail.
-The defendant was un-cuffed inside a cell while inmates were being transferred to the Central County Jail.
-The defendant noticed the cell door was not securedalong with thedoors leading to the sally port were not secured either, at which time the defendant exited into the sally-port parking area.
-The defendant then was able to force open the gate from the bottom and slide his body underneath allowing him access to the outside.
-The defendant then climbed into the rear cargoarea ofa box truck, where he opened andconsumed a “Monster” energy drink valued at $3.50.
-Contact was made with thedriver of the box truck, who provided a sworn recorded statement, which he observed the defendant in the back ofthe box truck hiding in the cooler section.
A- post Miranda interview with the defendant was completed, at which time the defendant admitted to escaping the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Central Jail.
-It should be noted, your affiant located the defendant in the lobby of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Jail in possession of a “monster” energy drink along with a silver flashlight.
-Based on the above described facts, probable cause exists that the defendant violated F.S.S. 985.721, 810.02(4)(B) and 812.014(2](E).”
