The 38-year-old man arrested after climbing under the Brent Spence Bridge following a police pursuit Monday has a long felony criminal history, according to court records.
Joshua D. Baker has previously been convicted of drug trafficking, burglary, robbery, identity theft, disorderly conduct, non-support and being a persistent felony offender.
According to court documents, Baker has repeatedly violated past probation, including shock probation and misdemeanor probation.
Baker is now charged with first-degree fleeing, third-degree fleeing, first-degree wanton endangerment, first-degree criminal mischief, carjacking and driving on a suspended license. Police said Baker had four outstanding warrants at the time of the pursuit.
In a January 2023 court document responding to a motion for shock probation for Baker, who was convicted of theft of identity and being a persistent felony offender in the case, a prosecutor called Baker a “danger to the community.”
“(Baker) has failed to conform his behavior to follow the law for over two decades,” wrote Taylor Roof, assistant commonwealth attorney. “He has been committing felonies since he was a juvenile.”
Dan Hils, president of Frontline Advisors, LLC., a consulting firm that works closely with law enforcement, said he believes Baker’s history means police did “the right thing” in going after him Monday afternoon.
We asked Hils, former president of the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police, to analyze the Covington Police Department’s pursuit policy and the facts of the case involving Baker.
“I think it’s one of those many times in law enforcement where you have very hard choices you have to make,” Hils said. “When you have a felon that has other warrants, you pretty much have to draw a line and say that you’re going for the apprehension.”
Hear more about Baker’s history and possible reasoning for extending the chase here:
Per Covington Police Department policy, police may engage in a pursuit if they have reason to believe the person has committed certain crimes including burglary, which Baker is now charged with.
“Officers may engage in a pursuit when they have a reasonable suspicion a fleeing suspect has committed, attempted to commit, or is actively wanted for a criminal violation as defined in the Authorized Pursuits section above,” the policy reads.
“With the seriousness of the offense, the road conditions, I believe, were good, and so they weighed all those things,” Hils said. “And in the end, they caught themselves a bad guy.”
Some of LINK’s media partner WCPO 9 News online viewers contended with certain facts of the pursuit: it took place during rush hour on Monday and took police over the Brent Spence Bridge.
“It (has been) proven to us in the past, right here in the Greater Cincinnati area, and with Covington themselves, that the bridge has a certain risk,” Hils said. “To understand the mindset of the officer at the time, you have to think that things are coming at them so quickly.”
Police officers engaging in a pursuit must also take into account a host of factors including the nature of the offense, road conditions, alternate means of apprehension, the potential for endangerment of the public caused by the eluding acts of a fleeing violator and more.
WCPO 9 News requested public records from Covington police related to Monday’s pursuit, including the incident report, accident report, body camera video and dash camera video.
In a response letter, the department denied all of our requests, citing the ongoing investigation.
“The reports you requested are part of an active, open investigation. Premature release of investigative records in a public forum could compromise the integrity of the investigation by potentially impacting witnesses’ recollection of the events,” wrote Tracey Wietholter, crew leader for the Covington Police Department’s records section.