Thomas Baker

Name:
Baker, Thomas Alvin

Date of Booking:
08/17/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
CRIMINAL TRESPASS

DISORDERLY CONDUCT

WILLFUL OBSTRUCTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS – MISDEMEANOR

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

On 08/17/2025, at approximately 0850 hours, I, Sergeant Sydney Greene, was working security at [REDACTED BY AGENCY] located at [REDACTED BY AGENCY]

At the time, I was sitting at one of the two wooden pub tables just inside the front doors of the church.

I observed an unknown white male enter the front doors of the church and begin walking towards the Ministry Center, where the church service had been going on since around 0830 hours. Baker was very vocal while walking towards the Ministry Center, but I could not understand anything he was saying.

Shortly after Baker walked into the Ministry Center, one of the Church’s safety team members approached me, advising that a white male had entered the Ministry Center, being loud, and had sat down in the second row, more so towards the middle. I began walking towards the Ministry Center and was approached by several other church members, church workers, and safety personnel advising that the male they were referring to had caused problems at the church numerous times before today, and he probably shouldn’t be here.

I was also advised that this male had a knife during one of the previous incidents and pulled the knife on one of the Pastors. Another person advised that they heard at one point that the male should have been previously criminally trespassed from the Church.

I asked out loud to the group of people around me if I needed to ask the male to leave, but everyone in the group advised that they were not sure and that the call needed to come from someone higher up in the Church.

Pastor of small groups, [REDACTED BY AGENCY], advised Officer Freddy Amaya that he had dealt with the male before, and Officer Amaya advised them that the male did not need to be here because of all the problems he had caused.

After hearing this information, I decided that if another Officer told the Church that this male did not need to be here, this male needed to be asked to leave before any problems arose.

About the time I went to walk into the Ministry Center to try and locate the male, he walked out of the Ministry Center, walked over to the coffee bar, and began to fix himself a cup of coffee. I stood a short distance behind the male, waiting for the male to finish making himself a cup of coffee.

After fixing his cup of coffee, I asked the man to step outside the Church and speak with me. I then escorted the male out of the front doors of the Church.

Once outside, I advised the male that I had been made aware that he had caused some problems at the church in the past, and I just wanted to make sure that there were no problems today. The male advised that he has cancer, the reason being that he was here, and he didn’t plan on causing any problems today. I advised the male that I heard he was possibly banned from the Church and asked him if he was banned from the Church. The male immediately became defensive and advised that he was not banned, and I needed to “call the Police.” I advised the male that I am a Police Officer with the City of Tifton. I then advised the male that he would need to leave the property.

The male then stepped closer to me and yelled into my face that he “wasn’t fu*king going anywhere.” I attempted numerous times to calm the male down and have him leave the property so there would not be a scene at the Church. The male continued to curse at me and other safety personnel, calling me a “wh*re”, “fu*king bi*ch”, “bi*ch”, and other vulgar names. One church member even pleaded with the male to stop using the Lord’s name in vain because the male kept yelling “God damn” while yelling other curse words.

The male advised that his belongings were still inside the Ministry Center, and he wanted to go and gather them. I advised the male that he would not be going back into the church.

I advised dispatch that I needed an officer at the Church right away. While on the radio with dispatch, someone had brought the male’s belongings out to him.

I gave the male ample opportunities to gather his belongings and leave the Church. The male continued to yell at everyone outside and began running up to the males that were telling him “to just leave,” and yelling obscenities in their faces. The male was told to leave more times than I can remember by not only me but also others that was outside.

I began working towards the male, and he turned to walk away. At this point, enough was enough, and the male needed to be removed from the property. I grabbed one of the male’s arms, and he tried snatching his arm away from me. The male was holding a black bag that resembled a briefcase, and I snatched the bag from his grasp and dropped the bag onto the ground. The male made a motion with his head (throwing it towards my face) that made me believe he was trying to headbutt me. I grabbed the male’s other hand, spun his body away from me, and pulled both of his hands behind his back.

I placed the male under arrest by placing handcuffs on him behind his back. I was not able to check for proper fitment nor double-lock the handcuffs, because the male kept pulling away from me and turning his torso towards me, all while still yelling obscenities at me (some of which were “you fu*king bi*ch,” “you wh*re”). I then walked the male over to the front of my patrol vehicle and pinned his body to the front of my patrol vehicle in hopes that the male could no longer fling his body around. The male then attempted to head butt me once more, and I dodged his head butt yet again.

About this time, multiple officers arrived on scene to assist.

I advised the Officers what had occurred and asked if someone could transport him to jail. Officer James Webb took the male from me, and I advised him that the male had not been searched. Officer Webb then searched the male’s person and did not locate any weapons or contraband on him. Officer Stalvey’s patrol vehicle was closest, so Officers placed the male into the rear of her patrol vehicle.

Officers identified the male as Thomas Baker.

I searched Baker’s black bag. In one of the larger pockets of the bag, I located a plastic marking flag that was pushed through the center of two mushrooms resembling a kabob. The top mushroom was a yellow and green color, while the bottom mushroom was more of a brown and tan color. These mushrooms did not resemble edible mushrooms that you would purchase at your local grocery store. While wearing gloves, I pulled both mushrooms from the marking flag, photographed them using my department-issued cellular phone, and placed them into a brown paper bag. I then placed Baker’s black bag and the brown paper bag containing the mushrooms into the rear trunk of Officer Stalvey’s patrol vehicle.

I will attach the photographs I took of the mushrooms to this report.

Officer Freddy Amaya approached Officer Stalvey’s patrol vehicle and opened the rear door, where Baker was seated. Officer Amaya started speaking with Baker and attempted to get Baker to calm down. Baker advised that the handcuffs were too tight; therefore, Officer Amaya had Baker step out of the patrol vehicle. Officer Amaya then repositioned the handcuffs on Baker’s wrists, checked their fit, and double-locked them. Officer Amaya placed Baker back into the rear of Officer Stalvey’s patrol vehicle.

Officer Stalvey transported Baker to the Tift County Jail and booked Baker into the jail with a hold so that I could obtain warrants on Baker.

Officer Stalvey then transported the mushrooms to the Tifton Police Department, double bagged the mushrooms in a paper bag, filled out a Property & Evidence receipt, and logged the mushrooms into the drugbin.

[SECTION REDACTED BY AGENCY]

Shortly after leaving the PD, Officer Stalvey met with me at [REDACTED BY AGENCY] to return my handcuffs. Officer Stalvey advised Baker asked her if we had gotten his mushrooms out of his bag, to which Officer Stalvey replied yes. Officer Stalvey advised Baker, then advised that the two mushrooms were for his goats.

At this time, I do not have a way of testing the mushrooms for Psilocybin and Psilocin. I will have these mushrooms sent off to the GBI Crime Lab for testing.

At approximately 2130 hours, I contacted Judge Kris Stone and presented this case before him. Judge Stone signed the following warrants for Thomas Baker:

CR-76346: 16-7-21, Criminal Trespass
CR-76347: 16-11-39, Disorderly Conduct
CR-76348: 16-10-24, Obstruction Of Officer

The original warrant, a TCSO intake form with the updated charge information, and a release slip were given to an officer to take to the Tift County Jail to be turned into the jail staff.

[End of Narrative]