Elusive Squatter Apprehended

DAYTON -- A transient man who is suspected of breaking into a Dayton church preschool and may also have broken into several homes in town during the past two months is in custody.

Daniel Baxter, a 34-year-old drifter with ties to Montana, California and Pennsylvania, was arrested by Columbia County Sheriff's deputies late last Thursday afternoon after the officers discovered his hiding place in the basement of an empty home owned by Dayton's Community Bible Church on South Second Street.

"Baxter is the primary suspect in the ongoing investigation of a string of burglaries reported over the past several months in Dayton," according to a statement from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.

Baxter is facing charges of first burglary in the first degree, burglary in the second degree, assault in the fourth degree and making false statements to law enforcement officers, said Julie Karl with the prosecutor's office. The assault and false statements charges are gross misdemeanors.

He is linked to the burglaries of 14 homes in the city.

Baxter was arrested when he tried to flee from his hiding place.

The first reports that there was suspicious activity at the church came on Monday, Feb. 6, when church officials reported a burglary at the church, saying the suspect had taken food meant for children, turned up the heat to 75 degrees and left the lights on.

The church's pastor, who preferred not to be named in the paper, told the Times the burglar had been in all three buildings of the church, probably since October. He believes the burglar got into the church through windows that had butterfly latches on them and not only took peanut butter cookies and coffee, but put cardboard over the windows and unplugged computers.

A teacher at the church discovered the cardboard on Monday and it was reported to the police. On Thursday, the pastor said the police came to the church facilities to investigate, and within two hours, Baxter was found and arrested.

He was found living in a crawl space about the size of a kitchen at the back of the Clay Street House. The pastor said the house was used for Bible study classes and youth group, but no one lives there.

After police fished Baxter out, the pastor said they found everything needed for someone to live in the crawl space, including heaters, cooking apparatus, computers and clothes. He did not know where the heaters and computers came from.

"The police did an amazing job of putting the pieces of this puzzle together," the pastor said.

The pastor was the only witness present to the investigation that led to the arrest, he said, and he described that investigation like "peeling back the layers of an onion."

"Nobody knew what was going on," the pastor said.

He did acknowledge that he was assaulted during the arrest of Baxter, but would not give any details.

At Baxter's bond hearing last Friday afternoon, it was confirmed Baxter ran from police when confronted in the crawl space last Thursday and assaulted the pastor when he was trying to get away. Baxter eventually had to be taken from the scene at gunpoint.

He would not provide law enforcement with his correct name, and Baxter was identified after police took his fingerprints.

There are also similar charges against him in Montana, California and Pennsylvania.

At the hearing last week, Baxter appeared extremely malnourished, his elbows were very thin, protruding from his striped inmate clothing and his dark hair was long, about to his shoulders.

Baxter is being held in Co- lumbia County Jail on $250,000 bail. The bail hearing last week will be continued at his arraignment Feb. 16. His attorney asked for a continuance while she searches for a member of the Dayton community who would house him while he is awaiting trial. His attorney said he is a member of the Dayton Church of the Nazarene.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office has been working to track down the elusive squatterburglar since last summer. It was apparent a transient man was breaking into vacant homes and staying the night, often leaving behind food and clothing items.

The suspect had been targeting vacant homes inside the city limits for the past several months, forcibly entering them, stealing personal property and even squatting in them for periods of time. The burglar-squatter didn't have a preference, he frequented unfurnished, furnished and intermittently occupied homes alike. The suspect had been known to barricade himself inside the home or set up elaborate warning systems to alert him of the presence of other people in the where he has set up residence, law enforcement officials said.

The sheriff's office put up cameras and alarms in the houses the suspect was frequenting, but had trouble getting a clear picture of the suspect caught on camera.

The only description the office provided was that the suspect was a "tall, white male, between the ages of 25-50."

In January, the sheriff's offi ce ramped up its patrols in an effort to find the suspect.

By October, there had been no reports of missing personal property, but that had changed.

Baxter is scheduled to be arraigned for his charges Thursday, Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m. at the Columbia County Courthouse.