On Saturday, April 16, 2022, at approximately 4:55 a.m., the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary of an occupied residence on Hummingbird Road.
Deputies and investigators responded and learned that two men broke into a vehicle and then forcibly entered the residence which was occupied by the victim. The victim armed herself and fired several shots toward the intruders which led to the male suspects fleeing the residence.
The victim provided a description of the suspects as well as the vehicle that they were traveling in which was provided to the community with a request for assistance.
An anonymous tip was received which led to identifying Steven Matthew Baxter as a suspect. On April 20, 2022, investigators arrested Baxter on numerous drug charges as a result of a search warrant that was served at his residence.
Investigators continued to follow up on various leads in reference to the April 16th incident and were able to determine that Baxter was in fact one of the suspects that broke into the residence. Investigators presented the case to the State Attorney’s Office and were able to obtain an arrest warrant on Steven Matthew Baxter for Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling, Burglary of a vehicle, Burglary of a Structure, Grand Theft and Felony Petit Theft. On Thursday August 11, 2022, Baxter was served with the warrant at the Jackson County Correctional Facility where he was being held on previous charges.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are forthcoming for those individuals who acted as an accessory to the crimes. If anyone has information that can assist with this investigation, please contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 850-482-9624.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can submit a tip to Chipola Crimestoppers by calling 850-526-5000 or submit a tip online at chipolacrimestoppers.com.
