A Gillette man accused of attacking another man with a crowbar in 2020 was found guilty by a Wyoming jury after half an hour of deliberation, the Campbell County Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Brennan Baker, 29, was found guilty of aggravated assault and battery with the habitual criminal enhancement on July 8 following a two-day jury trial relating to an October 2020 incident where he attacked a man at a local coffee shop with a crowbar.
Court documents state that Baker believed the other male had “hooked up with his old lady” at some point previously and was upset when he confronted the male at Hole in the Wall Coffee on South Douglas Highway in Gillette.
Video surveillance footage showed Baker taking a baseball bat-style grip on the crowbar and taking multiple double-arm swings at the male’s head, torso, and hips in the parking lot, per the affidavit, which adds the male put his arms up in an attempt to ward off the onslaught.
At one point, the male was able to grab the crowbar from Baker’s grip and the two exchanged blows with their fists for several moments. Baker was ultimately able to regain possession of the crowbar and swung periodically at the male any time he got near his vehicle in an attempt to leave.
Baker ceased his attack and departed when a witness at the coffee shop came outside and said something to both the male and Baker. What was said was not identified in the report.
The male whom Baker attacked suffered a small cut to his left arm just below the elbow, a cut to his left middle finger, and swelling to his arm.
Based on the video footage, the investigating officer wrote, it was readily apparent that Baker intended to cause serious bodily injury to the male based on the fact that he swung a crowbar several times at his head.
“If (Baker) would have made contact with either of the first two swings, I believe (the male) would have sustained significant injuries,” the affidavit states.
Sentencing for Baker will be conducted in approximately 75 days after a pre-sentence investigation is completed, per the Campbell County Attorney’s Office.
