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City man faces drug, weapons, assault charges

Baxter arraigned in relation to three cases

Baxter

A city man is behind bars on drug, theft, gun and assault charges in relation to three cases filed against him in September.

Clifford Marcell Baxter, 49, of Altoona, was arraigned Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge Fred B. Miller on felony charges of receiving stolen property, possession with intent to deliver, possession of a firearm prohibited and flight to avoid apprehension as well as misdemeanor drug charges. Bail was set at $75,000 in the case.

Those charges came about as Altoona police arrested Baxter on an outstanding warrant Tuesday afternoon.

Police officers found Baxter at a home on the 200 block of Third Avenue, and once cuffed, police found $320 and 36 wax packets stamped “Gorilla” in his pants pocket.

The packets contained suspected heroin/fentanyl, court documents state. In the living room area where Baxter was seated, officers found green leafy marijuana, multiple glass smoking devices and two small bags of methamphetamine.

The homeowner said Baxter did not live there and told police that he had a pistol with his belongings in another room.

A search of the home turned up a black Glock 9 mm handgun loaded with nine rounds in the magazine.

The serial number indicated the gun was stolen, police said.

While being taken to the Blair County Prison, Baxter reportedly asked officers what took them so long to issue a warrant for his arrest after the last incident involving firearms and drugs. Baxter also admitted to hiding from police after the felony warrant was issued.

The case Baxter was referring to was filed Sept. 1 and involved an Aug. 16 incident in which police were called for an altercation on the 1100 block of 14th Avenue. In that case, Baxter is accused of having a gun. In 2020, Baxter pleaded guilty to witness intimidation, so he is not allowed to have a gun.

When police arrived at the 14th Avenue building, Baxter was entering the passenger side of a vehicle he said belonged to his girlfriend.

A witness stated she was at the apartment to buy drugs but was forced out of the room after an argument about payment. She said Baxter pulled out a gun.

A 911 call was made when the gun was pulled out, according to the witness, who told police there were a lot of drugs in the apartment.

The landlord of the building said tenants have been ripping down his surveillance cameras, but one camera was up and the wires went into Baxter’s apartment.

Police secured a search warrant for Baxter’s apartment and the vehicle and found in the car a .22-caliber Colt handgun, digital sale, suspected drugs and packaging material.

Found in the apartment were needles, a digital scale, bag of meth, mirror, straw, bag of .22 shells, Brillo pad, methamphetamine, copper scrub pads and a gun holster. The drugs found in the car had an estimated street value of more than $1,000, police said.

During the investigation, police spoke with the registered owner of the gun, who said it had been stolen.

Baxter was arraigned on felony charges of receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm prohibited and possession with intent to deliver along with misdemeanor drug charges. Bail was set at $150,000 in this case.

In the third case, filed Sept. 16, police were called to the area of 11th Street and 10th Avenue for a report of a woman screaming. Police located the victim who was crying and had blood on her face and hands. She reported that she and Baxter were in a verbal argument and that she wanted to leave and go back to her family.

As she was walking on Cherry Avenue south toward 10th Avenue, Baxter followed her to the area of 11th Street and 10th Avenue where he spit in her face and punched her with a closed fist.

A witness and the victim’s friends also spoke about the assault, police reported.

In that case, Baxter was charged with misdemeanor simple assault and summary harassment. Bail was set at $25,000.

Unable to post a combined bail of $250,000, Baxter remains behind bars in the Blair County Prison, court records indicate. Preliminary hearings for the three cases are set for Oct. 5 before Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio.

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