MACON, Ga. — A South Carolina man is in the Bibb County Jail on 15 counts of aggravated cruelty to animal charges. But his history with animals prior to this case is a checkered one.
Steven Verren Baker, of Holly Hill, S.C., was booked into the Bibb County Jail on Tuesday, jail records show.
But according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for South Carolina, Baker was previously convicted of being the "ringleader" of an international turtle smuggling ring.
In Baker's most recent entanglement with the law, Bibb County deputies were out in east Bibb responding to a call about an abandoned dog.
While in the 1100 block of Sunnydale Drive, the deputy was speaking to a resident when they noticed several turtles in a basin. According to the incident report, the deputy said the turtles were held in poor conditions.
"I asked her about the turtles because the environment was deplorable and the turtles appeared in poor health," the incident report said. "She said they belong to her son, Steven Baker, who left them with her about a month ago along with two dogs."
They also said that the basin was within "a pile of trash next to the driveway," the incident report said.
Baker's mother told deputies that she tried to get Baker to pick up the turtles, but he didn't come. She signed a surrender statement and the 15 turtles were taken by the sheriff.
There were 11 albino red-eared sliders, one brown-red-eared slider, two pink belly side necks and one Chinese Golden Thread, which the incident report noted is an endangered species.
After seeing the veterinarian, the doctor reported that the turtles were suffering from long-term malnutrition, bacteria infections, sepsis, shell deformities and fungal infections, they said. The conditions also led to blindness for some of the turtles.
But back in 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baker’s native South Carolina sent Baker away to 2.25 years in federal prison on conspiracy to smuggle wildlife charges after he pleaded guilty.
He was required to hand over $263,225 in funds from the wildlife trade.
Between January and June of 2016, they said Baker got his hands on turtles – which were protected under international agreements – and sent them “back and forth” from China to the U.S.
They said he got the turtles from Hong Kong and would distribute them here in the U.S.
The illicit animal dealings were set up using Facebook Messenger and the shipments of turtles were sent worldwide through the United States Postal Service.
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office said that the case is still under investigation. The incident report recommended additional charges against one other person as well.
Currently, Baker is being held in the Bibb County Jail on a $8,250 bond.
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