Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Lexes Marie Baker, 19, was taken into custody yesterday morning following her roommate’s report of hearing Baker’s one-year-old crying in a bathroom connected to her bedroom; authorities were later informed that Baker had left the apartment the day before.
Around 10:20 a.m. on June 6, deputies from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office were called to a confidential location after Baker’s roommate dialed 911, reporting that a one-year-old was trapped in a bathroom.
Deputies noted the bathroom door was locked, the lights were off, and a camera was positioned downward from a soap holder on the counter; the child was found covered in urine, feces, and vomit, appearing to be in distress. The infant was then taken by ambulance to Shands Pediatric Emergency Room for medical care.
When Baker returned and saw deputies at her apartment, she allegedly fled on foot, ignoring orders to stop; she was apprehended after a taser deployment.
Post Miranda, Baker reportedly said she had only left the baby alone for 20 minutes, but she later changed her statement and said it had been 45 minutes. She said she was monitoring the baby by viewing the camera on her cell phone; when a deputy asked whether she had seen deputies enter the bathroom, she initially said she did but then said she did not because the camera was “glitching.” She reportedly said she fled when she saw the deputies because she knew she would go to jail for leaving her child in the bathroom.
A witness reportedly said Baker had left the apartment around 5 p.m. on June 5 and did not return during the night; the roommate said they were unaware that the baby was in the bathroom until just before they called 911. The bathroom is a private bathroom inside Baker’s private bedroom in the apartment.
Baker has been charged with child neglect without great bodily harm and resisting an officer without violence. She has no local criminal history, and Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $52,000.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
