In unrelated incidents, armed suspects hit two Mountain homes Sept. 8, sending one victim to the hospital.

All four suspects were apprehended and are in custody according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 8, sheriff’s deputies and a Sandy Police officer responded to a 911 call on Twinberry Loop in Welches – the home of Josh Baker and
Denise Emmerling-Baker. According to Josh Baker, it was the second intrusion
in eight days.

It was reported that Josh Baker suffered a knife wound and was transferred to

Emanuel Hospital in Portland. His injury was not considered to be life-
threatening.

After investigating throughout the morning, detectives took Sergio Cruz-
Hernandez, 20, of Welches, into custody where he was transported to the
Clackamas County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Bakers declined to be interviewed on advice from the district attorney’s
office due to the ongoing investigation, but Josh Baker submitted a Letter to
the Editor and it can be found on Page 4 of the Opinion section in this issue.

Mike Jones, a neighbor of the Bakers on Twinberry Loop, was aroused from
his sleep at 4:18 a.m. Sept. 8.

“I heard a woman (Emmerling-Baker) yelling ‘help me, help me,’” Jones told
The Mountain Times. “It was blood curdling. My hair still stands up when I
think about it. I’ll never forget those screams.”

According to Jones, Emmerling-Baker ran to another neighbor’s house, and
other neighbors came outside.

“A Sandy cop got there quickly, and told us all to back off, which we did,”
Jones said. “While they were tending to Josh, Denise was still hysterical.”
Neighbors said that Josh Baker had been stabbed twice.

The Mountain Times received a flurry of other reports about the incident,
including one that suggests Cruz-Hernandez had entered the house the week
before and returned on Sept. 8. KPTV reported that Josh Baker, a volunteer
firefighter, awoke to a man standing in his room, with a gun, and demanded
cash. Josh Baker was able to convince him to leave.

But he came back, this time with a knife.

The Mountain Times was unable to confirm the KPTV story, but off-the-record
accounts support that scenario.

According to Jones, Cruz-Hernandez dropped his wallet during his escape and
that allowed law enforcement to track him down later that day.

Mountain Air Drive
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office responded at 11:30 a.m., Sept. 8, to a
report of a residential burglary on Mountain Air Drive in Welches.

One of the residents of the home and a neighbor confronted two suspects
after they entered the home, according to CCSO. The neighbor was identified
as Stewart Haney, 53, of Welches. The resident was identified as Beau Collins,
39, of Welches.

One suspect was armed with a knife and the other with a bat, according to
CCSO. One of the suspects was detained by Haney and Collins while the other
suspect fled the scene. When deputies arrived they took the already detained
suspect into custody and began the search for the second suspect.

The second suspect was spotted a few blocks away by a sergeant where the
suspect was still in possession of a large knife. He was taken into custody
without incident, according to CCSO.

Deputies determined the suspects planned the burglary and targeted the
residence. A third person, Melinda Dawn Hanke, 26, of Gresham, was found to
be involved in the crime, according to a CCSO report. Hanke knew the victims
and stayed the night at their house. That morning, Hanke gave the victims a
ride to the Hempstalk 2012 at Kelly Point Park in Portland.

Knowing the residents would no longer be home, the two suspects entered the
residence. The two suspects arrested at the scene were Keith Alan Tupper,
18, of Gresham, and John Lewis Dixon Jr., 19, of Portland. Deputies later
contacted Hanke and placed her under arrest. All three were taken to the
Clackamas County Jail and booked for Burglary, Robbery and other related
charges.