Alleged Meat Thief Arrested for Beating and Choking Girlfriend: Prosecutor

Charles Baker, 33 | Cook County Sheriff

OAK LAWN, IL -- An Oak Lawn man currently out on bail for allegedly stealing meat from a grocery store was charged with beating and choking his live-in girlfriend during a domestic disturbance on Feb. 29.

Charles Baker, 33, appeared before Cook County Associate Judge John Hynes on two felony counts of domestic battery, unlawful interference with reporting a battery and possession of a controlled substance.

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Prosecutors said the girlfriend’s son, a minor, called police to report that his mother was being attacked by Baker around 7:48 a.m. Monday.

According to the charges, Baker grabbed the woman’s throat and began choking her. When she was able to break away, he knocked her to the floor, then dragged her to a bedroom.

The boy came to his mother’s aid as Baker banged her head against the wall. When the boy tried to push Baker off his mom, Baker knocked him to the side, prosecutors said.

When police arrived, they found Baker in possession of 21 capsules of acetaminophen and hydrocodone. Both are considered controlled substances.

In addition to the pending meat theft case from December 2015, Baker also has a pending battery against another individual, prosecutors said.

Baker served a two-year sentence for a theft conviction in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The assistant public defender told the judge that Baker suffers from multiple sclerosis. He told Baker to be quiet when he tried to talk during his bond hearing.

Judge Hynes set bail at $250,000 for the new domestic battery and PCS charges, and additional $50,000 for violation of bond. Baker was ordered held on no bail for the pending meat theft case.

He was also ordered to stay away from his girlfriend while the case is pending.

Baker is due back in court on March 15 in Bridgeview.