Bates County Sheriff's Office Press Release: Standoff North Of Adrian Friday

OnMondayNovember5^th,2013theBatesCountySheriff’sDetectivesweredispatchedtoSt.Luke’sEastinLeesSummitinreferencetoanassaultthathadtakenplaceinruralAdrian. Detectivescontacteda62yearoldfemalethathadseriousinjuries. ThevictimstatedthatshemovedfromtheStateofWashingtontoruralMissouriwithanotherfemale. Shestatedthatshewokeupandthefemaleroommatewasattackingher. Theroommatethenloadedthevictim’spersonalitemsanddrovehertoLeesSummitwithadestinationoftheTrainStation. Approximatelyablockbeforethetrainstationthevictimwasforcedoutofthecarandherbelongingstossedontotheground.

Bystandershadobservedtheincidentandcalled911forthefemalevictim. ThevictimidentifiedtheassaulterasRhondaLBaker,W/F,7/16/1968. ThroughouttheweektheDetectivesmademultipleattemptstocontactBaker. BakerwouldnotrespondtotheDetectivesattheresidence. OnNovember8,atapproximately1pmadeputywasattheruralAdrianresidenceofBakerinanattempttoserveherexpartepapers. Bakeragainwouldnotrespondtothedeputyatthehouse.

At approximately 2pm Bates County’s Dispatch Center received a call from a family member of Ms. Baker’s live in Boyfriend who state Ms. Baker was suicidal. Dispatch also made contact directly with the boyfriend and he advised she was suicidal and had intentions of committing suicide by having Police Officers shoot her.

Deputiesarrivedonsceneandattemptedtogetthetwosubjectsoutofthehouse. TheBatesCountyCrisisNegotiationTeamandtheSheriff’sEmergencyResponseTeamwereactivated. CommunicationwasestablishedwithMs.Bakerwhodeniedthatshewassuicidalbutrefusedtocomeoutofthehouse. NegotiatorswereabletospeakwiththeboyfriendandheadvisedthemonseveraloccasionsthatMs.Bakerwouldnotlethimleavethehouse. SeveraltimesduringthenegotiationsMs.Bakerwouldtellthemto“gogetawarrantandlet’splay”. Ms.BakerforacoupleofhoursMs.Bakerwouldnotallowherboyfriendtotalkonthephone. Graveconcernbegantoriseforthesafetyoftheboyfriendthatwasconsideredtobeahostage. EspeciallysincetheSheriff’sOfficealsohadinformationoftherebeingweaponsinthehousefromseveralsources.

Afterapproximately5hours,theNegotiationTeam,withhelpfromtheboyfriendinsidethehouse,successfullytalkedMs.Bakertocomeoutofthehouse. Ms.Bakerandtheboyfriendweretakenintocustodywithoutincident. AfterthesurrendertheSheriff’sEmergencyResponseTeamservedasearchwarrantontheresidence. Ahandgun,ashotgunandlongriflewerelocatedinthehousealongwith

The Sheriff’s Office is familiar with Rhonda Baker and has had dealing with her on prior occasions. On Valentine’s Day 2011 the Bates County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the same residence because Ms. Baker had pointed a weapon at an ex-boyfriend and then fled into her residence when Deputies arrived. On that day Ms. Baker held up in her house for over 12 hours. Tear gas was deployed into multiple windows of the house where she finally came out and was taken into custody. Ms. Baker was charged with unlawful use of a weapon on that case and is set to go to trial sometime in 2014.

OnthenewincidentMs.Bakerhasbeenchargedwith2^ndAssaultandherbondwassetat$20,000CashorSurety. MoreChargesareexpectedtofollowinregardstothestandoff,oncetheProsecutorhashadachancetoreviewthereports.

BatesCountySheriff’sOfficeappreciatestheassistancebytheBatesCountyEMS,AdrianFireDepartment,andthelocalMissouriStateHighwayPatrolTroopers. Duringtheincidentarequestforanadditionaltacticalteamwasrequestedfromtwootheragencies. CassCountySheriff’sOfficewasintheprocessofassemblingtheirteambutwascanceledpriortoarrivalwhenthenegotiationteamtalkedheroutoftheresidence.