This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Millcreek man accused of setting up a network of wires and fake explosives in his yard, prompting a SWAT standoff last month made his first court appearance Wednesday.
David Charles Baker, 47, was wearing a black sequin mini-dress with orange and pink fur trim when he was arrested Sept. 23. During an appearance that lasted less than a minute Wednesday, Baker wore a blue Salt Lake County jail uniform and eyeglasses.
He was assigned a public defender and a new court date was set for Oct. 22.
Baker faces third-degree felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a weapon by a restricted person, aggravated assault and failure to stop at an officer's command.
According to court documents, a neighbor saw Baker running in his neighborhood, near 3100 East Del Mar, carrying a shotgun, and wearing two ammunition bandoliers over his chest. An officer told him to stop, but Baker ran into his home.
Police found what appeared to be homemade explosives — a cooler, gas cans, propane tanks and electrical cords strewn about — on Baker's yard, the charges state. As officers moved toward the home, Baker allegedly broke out windows and threw "objects including a briefcase and a chemical agent toward officers."
Police arrested Baker as he ran through a back door in the home.
Inside Baker's house, according to court documents, police found "three axes, a shotgun, a Smith & Wesson revolver, one trip wire firing device which was capable of discharging a shotgun shell, a smoke grenade, a knife, a large curved cutting instrument (similar to a sickle)" and two glass bongs that tested positive for marijuana and cocaine.
At least three different police agencies responded to the standoff at Baker's home and the neighborhood was evacuated, "after which the defendant indicated that such a response was the desired outcome of his acts," the charges state.
Officials believed the event "may have been a trial run for a more extensive act," according to court documents.
Twitter: @aaronfalk