Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
On Tuesday, June 13, Mike Brown and Bennett Suave of the Eddy County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of domestic violence, which soon turned into much more.
According to court documents, when Brown arrived on the scene in New Rockford he came across one female who was holding her face and bleeding from the knee.
The female reportedly told Brown that her boyfriend, 31-year-old Nathan Baker, had punched her and her grandmother in the face.
Court documents go on to allege that Baker began to resist as he was being placed under arrest.
Baker allegedly adopted a “fighting stance” when he first faced Sergeant Suave, forcing Suave to place him into a “pain compliance hold.”
Court documents say the altercation only escalated as Brown was forced to help Suave place handcuffs on Baker and get him into a patrol car.
“While escorting the Defendant to the patrol car, the Defendant put his face inches from the Sergeant's, yelling at him, ‘don’t you feel tough!’" say court documents. “While trying to get the Defendant into the patrol car, the Defendant turned and headbutted the Sergeant in the nose.”
For that incident Baker was charged with resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor, and with simple assault of a peace officer, a Class C felony.
Additionally, Baker was charged with terrorizing, a Class C felony, for allegedly threatening to murder Sergeant Suave when he got out of jail, saying that he “knew where he lived.”
“Due to the Defendant’s behaviors, aggression and misbelief, the Sergeant believes the Defendant may act on his threats,” say court documents.
For the original domestic violence incident in which Baker allegedly punched his girlfriend and her grandmother in the face, Baker was also charged with disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor, and with simple assault – domestic violence, also a Class B misdemeanor.
“That said offense was committed when the Defendant did punch his live-in girlfriend … in the face, knocking her to the ground and causing an injury on her leg to re-open resulting in a loss of blood,” say court documents regarding the domestic violence charge.
Baker was arrested and booked at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center in Devils Lake, where he remained as of press time on $5,000 bail, cash or surety.
The maximum penalty for a Class C felony is five years’ imprisonment, a fine of $10,000, or both.
Class A and Class B misdemeanors, meanwhile, carry maximum penalties of 360 days’ imprisonment and/or a $3,000 fine, and 30 days’ imprisonment and/or a fine of $1,500, respectively.
Baker is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
