Bicyclist screaming cops were after him, attracts attention of cops

A man riding through a Linton neighborhood screaming that the cops were after him resulted in numerous calls to the cop shop and it wasn’t long before the cops really were after him.

Rodney Alan Baker, 39, was arrested by Sgt. Logan Hobbs of the Linton Police Department early Friday, August 10. Both jail and court records listed Baker with a home address in Lawrence Hollow in rural Bloomfield.

Rodney Alan Baker

The story begins close to 7 a.m. last Friday, August 10, when dispatch at the Linton Police Department got a call from someone who said a suspicious person was standing on their porch.

LPD Detective Paul Clark located the suspicious person near 6th and C Streets SE and identified him as Rodney Baker.

Sgt. Hobbs, the investigating officer in this case, wrote in his report that it was the first day of school for students in Linton, at a time in the morning when young children were standing outside waiting on buses.

“Baker had been riding a bicycle around the neighborhood yelling at anyone he could find about ‘cops’ being ‘after him,’” said Sgt. Hobbs.

During this first contact with Baker, Det. Clark told Baker that if he continued to make unreasonable noise and cause a disturbance, he would be arrested for disorderly conduct. Clark reported that Baker said he understood and the officer left the scene.

But over the next half-hour, more calls came in to LPD dispatch from people reporting Baker’s suspicious behavior, including riding his bicycle recklessly in traffic and continuing to shout that cops were after him.

Baker also went to the area of LPD Officer John Agan’s home to scream about the police.

Officers Hobbs and Clark both responded to the area.

Sgt. Hobbs said when he located Baker, he was riding his bicycle northeast through the yards of several residences but as he drove east in an attempt to follow Baker, he was flagged down by an irate person pointing at Baker. The man wanted to report that Baker had just ridden his bicycle up to the man’s girlfriend, called her a bad name then rode off.

When Hobbs caught up with Baker, still riding his bicycle, on B Street SE just east of 8th Street SE, Hobbs hit the lights and siren but the bicycle did not pull over.

Hobbs said Baker looked over his shoulder at the officer then increased his bicycling speed, continuing on to 12 Street SE where he turned south then turned around in the driveway of INDOT on 12th Street SE and headed back north in an attempt to evade the cop who was after him.

But as he rode north, the fleeing bicycle was cut off by Det. Clark.

So, Baker then took to the railroad tracks that cross 12th Street SE near C Street SE and fled west. But he had some type of crash and fell off his bicycle. At that point, he took off and attempted to flee on foot.

Det. Clark and Sgt. Hobbs caught up to him on foot and Baker was taken into custody and booked in to the Greene County Jail where his bond was set at $1,000 surety with ten percent allowed.

As of early Friday, August 17, Baker had not posted bond and remained in the Greene County Jail.

When Baker appeared in Greene Superior Court on Thursday afternoon, August 16, he was charged with:

• Disorderly conduct involving unreasonable noise, a Class B misdemeanor, and
• Resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor.