A man was arrested during the early morning hours Wednesday on charges that he threatened a couple with a gun at a West Forks general store.
Edward Baker Photo courtesy of Somerset County Sheriff’s Office
Officers arrived at the scene to find the man, Edward Baker, 28, had been restrained on the ground by Brandon Berry, a local pro boxer who’s risen to fame in that sport, along with his wife and a neighbor, according to a news release issued by Somerset County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Michael Mitchell.
Baker, whom police listed as transient, was arrested on charges of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, Class C; aggravated criminal mischief, Class C; reckless conduct, Class D; burglary of a motor vehicle, Class D; disorderly conduct, Class E; and discharge of a firearm near a dwelling, Class E.
The sheriff’s office received a call about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday of a disturbance at Berry’s General Store in West Forks. Brandon Berry, 34, and his wife, Jillian Berry, 35, reported that they had been awakened to the sound of their vehicle running outside the family-run store. They found a man — later identified as Baker — had gotten into the car and fired a handgun through the windshield.
Mitchell said in an interview Wednesday that Baker reportedly had turned on the car stereo, which awakened the Berrys, and that he had found the loaded handgun in the vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies in recent days had received complaints about Baker, who had run out of gas for his vehicle and didn’t have money to refuel, Mitchell said.
At one point, Baker pointed the gun at Brandon Berry, Mitchell said.
When Deputy Craig Dyer and Deputy Andrew Bowman arrived, they found the Berrys and the neighbor had subdued Baker and secured the handgun.
“This could have gone bad real quick,” Mitchell said in the interview. “It had the makings of a real disaster. Fortunately, it worked out so no one got hurt.”
Baker was taken to the Somerset County Jail in East Madison and was being held on $25,000 cash bail. He was expected to make an initial appearance in court in the coming days.
Mitchell said the case remains under investigation and that the charges against Baker could change once the case has been reviewed by the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office.
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