Man accused of punching, hitting Milwaukee County attorney with metal object
Robert Baker
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A 59-year-old Milwaukee is accused of assaulting an attorney with the Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel Office on Monday, July 28th. The accused is Robert Baker. He now faces a felony charge of Substantial Battery (With Intent to Cause Bodily Harm).
According to a news release posted on the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office website, the attorney was attacked as he returned to his office after a hearing involving Baker in civil court. The criminal complaint against Baker indicates he allegedly punched the attorney several times and struck him in the head with a metal clipboard, causing a cut near his left eye that required medical treatment.
When interviewed by police, Baker indicated "he was unhappy with how the hearing went and he felt that neither the judge nor (the lawyer) were listening to him or treating him fairly. Baker states that he believed he was owed approximately $60,000 from Milwaukee County and as a result of how the hearing went, he was not going to receive that money."
Baker told officers "he got upset and made and that he lost it." He stated, "I am sorry for what I did and again I apologize for losing it. I did lose it."
If convicted, Baker faces up to three-and-a-half years in prison.
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke issued the following statement in relation to this incident:
“Family and Civil courts present situations that are volatile and emotional. They can lead to assaults and other disturbances, such as what happened on Monday. This is precisely why I have instituted armed security at our courthouse checkpoints -- to prevent people involved in these cases from bringing weapons into the building. Contrary to County Executive Chris Abele’s and District Attorney John Chisholm’s claims that the deputies are just standing there doing nothing, those armed deputies serve as a deterrent to weapons getting passed the perimeter of the courthouse complex. In fact, one of the checkpoint deputies pursued and caught the actor as he fled the courthouse. Had that officer not have been there, this actor would have gotten away, causing us to use more time and resources to apprehend him.”