A sexual predator was apprehended in Sumter County and found to have scratched off his sexual predator status from his identification card.
Deputies observed a gray Chevy Silverado being driven by 54-year-old Matthew Wimberly Baker on State Road 44 around 2:30 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. He drifted from the left lane into the right lane, straddling both and almost causing an accident. Due to this, a traffic stop was conducted.
The deputies explained the reason for the traffic stop to Baker who advised that the uneven road was why he could not maintain his lane. They then requested his driver’s license but were given an ID card instead. They asked if his license was suspended, to which he stated he was going to get it reinstated and fixed the next day, the report said.
Using a law enforcement database, the deputies confirmed his driver’s license was suspended. They also learned he was documented as a sexual predator after a court order on Feb. 6, 2013. He had been convicted in Indian River on June 8, 1994, for lewd or lascivious act on a child under 16 years old.
During the vehicle inventory, one of the deputies found Baker’s wallet from which he had pulled out the ID he initially provided. Inside was a second ID with the sexual predator designation. Further inspection of the first ID revealed the sexual predator designation had been scratched off. It seemed Baker had altered his ID to indicate he is not a sexual predator, the report said.
A detective assisted with the investigation once this was discovered. The deputies learned Baker last registered as a sexual predator in Orange County on May 1. He signed his sexual predator registration documents and was given a copy that noted his next registration date in August. His last registered address was listed as transient at Chuluota Road in Orlando, the report said.
Baker was subsequently charged with sexual predator possess altered driver’s license or ID, driving while license suspended and sexual predator fail to report to DHSMV. He was transported to the Sumter County Detention Center with bond set at $31,000.