Schuyler County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a Jacksonville man on multiple outstanding warrants spanning three Illinois counties on Thursday.
According to the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office, deputies took John P. Baker, 47, of Jacksonville, into custody on Dec. 11. Baker is wanted on active warrants from Cass, Morgan, and Pike counties and remains lodged at the Schuyler County Jail in Rushville pending further court proceedings.
In Cass County, Baker is sought on a warrant for a probation violation related to a Jan. 10, 2024 conviction for Class 3 felony aggravated battery in a public place. Court records indicate the conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on Nov. 13, 2023. Under a plea agreement, Baker was sentenced to two years of probation. As part of that agreement, charges of aggravated domestic battery, three separate violations of an order of protection, and several traffic offenses were dismissed. Shortly after the Nov. 13, 2023 incident, an emergency order of protection was filed by a woman in Ashland. A plenary order was reportedly served in the case on Dec. 1 of this year by the Gibson County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Department and extends the protection through 2027.
Baker is also wanted in Morgan County on a contempt of court warrant for failing to pay a fine related to a driving with a suspended license citation issued on Jan. 20, 2023. Additionally, a failure to appear warrant was issued for another driving with a suspended license citation dated April 25, 2024.
The most serious charges against Baker originate in Pike County, where multiple felony warrants have been issued. Those charges include unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle, burglary, unlawful delivery of methamphetamine, and driving on a suspended license.
The Pike County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded at 5:38 p.m. on Sunday, June 16, 2024, to a stolen vehicle complaint in Perry. The victim reported his red 2011 Ford truck had been taken. The vehicle was recovered a short time later at the Community Park in Chapin. Following a criminal investigation, law enforcement officers executed a court-authorized search warrant at an apartment in the 100 block of West Main Street in Perry at 3:18 p.m. on Monday, June 17, 2024. Baker was arrested following the search.
Court records show Baker then failed to appear for court proceedings on the Pike County charges on July 2, 2024, and has not appeared before a judge since that time.
Further court dates and potential extraditions are pending.