ST. GEORGE — A local man with an extensive criminal history spanning more than 15 years is back in jail on four new felony cases following his arrest after he reportedly crashed a vehicle that police say was stolen.
Joseph Michael Baum, 34, who recently was arrested for felony evading, now faces multiple felony charges after investigators reportedly connected him to a string of crimes reported in St. George, including theft, burglary evading and other offenses.
According to charging documents filed with the court, the arrest took place on Oct. 6, when a patrol officer on Bloomington Drive saw the driver of a gray pickup truck make a right-hand turn from Man O War Road without stopping at the intersection.
The officer started to follow the pickup as it continued toward South Bloomington Drive, and when the driver turned into the parking lot of the Bloomington Country Club with the officer in tow, the suspect accelerated back onto Bloomington Drive.
With emergency lights activated, the officer followed behind as the pickup continued south, and shortly thereafter the pursuit was terminated for safety reasons, the report states.
As the officer headed north along Bloomington Drive, he said he noticed the same gray pickup had crashed into a parked van near 2900 South and then watched as the driver grabbed items out of the pickup.
The suspect appeared to have spotted the officer and took off in the opposite direction on foot, and according to authorities, within minutes the driver was taken into custody.
During a search of the pickup truck, officers recovered two large air conditioners and a flat-screen TV, along with other items.
Baum was arrested and transported to jail facing second-degree felony possession of a stolen vehicle and felony evading, along with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and driving on a suspended license – each a misdemeanor.
When the case was filed, two additional misdemeanor evading charges were added, bringing the total to seven charges.
Meanwhile, officers responded to a business on East St. George Boulevard on a burglary reported earlier that day.
Officers arrived to learn that a suspect had broken into the business by prying open a number of doors, evidenced by the extensive damage found on the entrance door and at least one of the internal doors.
Authorities allege the suspect took two large Amana air conditioners and a Vizio television before fleeing the business.
The property was valued at more than $3,600, with another $800 in property damage to the business, leaving the business with an estimated loss of more than $4,400.
Within days of Baum’s arrest, investigators working the burglary were made aware of the property recovered from the pickup truck on Bloomington Drive, which turned out to be a match to what was reportedly taken from the business on St. George Boulevard.
On Oct. 17, Baum was charged with third-degree felony burglary and theft. He was also charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal mischief for the damage to the property.
The suspect was also tied to another incident on Bluff Street in St. George that resulted in a third-degree felony charge of theft by receiving stolen property.
In another case filed last week, the suspect was charged with felony shoplifting for an incident reported at Walmart on Pioneer Road in St. George.
In addition to the recent string of alleged crimes, the suspect has more than 30 criminal cases and convictions spanning more than a decade across the state, including multiple cases for theft, evading and other felony crimes he was later convicted of in Washington County.
Following the suspect’s arrest on Bloomington Drive, Baum made an initial appearance in 5th District Court in St. George on Oct. 14, and he remains in custody without bail.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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