St. George man never served defendants in civil cases, charges say

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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who prosecutors say was supposed to be serving court-issued subpoenas has been ordered to appear in court himself on felony charges accusing him of lying, according to charging documents.

James David Baker, 53, of St. George, was charged Thursday in 5th District Court with five counts of giving false or inconsistent material statements, a second-degree felony, and five counts of falsifying a government records, a class B misdemeanor.

From about Feb. 7 through March 26, 2019, Baker, who worked with the Baker Detective Agency in St. George, was “hired to serve various defendants in civil litigation matters for various businesses in St. George,” according to charging documents.

But multiple defendants reported to the Washington County Court of Justice that they were never served in their civil cases, “despite James Baker filing sworn statements with WCJC stating he had served those defendants,” the charges state. An employee with the justice court eventually called police to report concerns about Baker.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/30LDr7k