HOLLIDAYSBURG — A Williamsburg man accused of running a local chop shop entered an open plea Monday during Blair County court.

Wayne Alan Baker, 50, appeared in court alongside defense attorney Daniel Kiss to discuss his more than 35 felony counts across three active cases.

They, along with Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mays, asked for the plea court hearing to be continued in 2026 as they couldn’t come to an agreement to which charges Baker would be pleading guilty.

Kiss told presiding Senior Judge Timothy M. Sullivan that Baker’s plea would be open to the court, which would leave his sentencing up to the assigned judge’s discretion. He asked that Baker’s plea date be separate from his sentencing date as he thought he would need about an hour set aside for the sentencing proceedings to present 20-30 letters and in-person testimony.

Speaking on behalf of District Attorney Pete Weeks, Mays said that the DA told him they would need “up to three hours” for the sentencing hearing.

Sullivan noted these requests and told those present the matters would be scheduled under another judge.

Across his three cases, Baker faces 11 felony counts of receiving stolen property, seven felony counts of theft, six felony counts of alteration of vehicle identification numbers, eight felony counts of disposition of vehicle or vehicle part with altered VIN, one felony count each of operating a chop shop, corrupt organizations, conspiracy, criminal use of a communication facility and dealing in unlawful proceeds, along with misdemeanor counts of defiant trespass, possession of an instrument of crime and possession of a controlled substance. He remains free on bail.

The charges were brought against Baker in September 2022 following an investigation into the theft of multiple pieces of equipment from area contractors that turned into a monthslong investigation into a wide-ranging theft ring.

On Sept. 13, 2022, search warrants were executed on multiple properties owned by Baker, who was originally accused of taking mining belts from Grannas Bros. Ganister quarry in the early morning hours of Feb. 24, 2022.

According to court documents, state police were dispatched to the Ganister quarry, where $2,000 worth of mining belts were removed.

Police learned Baker’s land bordered the quarry and that last year, he cut down trees on the property, resulting in Baker being sent a letter stating he was not allowed to enter the property.

On May 19, 2022, police investigated the theft of a root rake hydraulic head unit that was attached to a John Deere tractor on Fox Run Road in Catharine Township. The victim found a paint chip at the scene that did not belong to the equipment, and when driving past Baker’s home, which was less than four miles away from the theft, the victim saw a truck parked there had the same color paint as the chip.

On June 27, 2022, police interviewed an inmate at the Blair County Prison, who said he was working under the table for Baker. He said Baker stole about $500,000 in equipment, items and vehicles over the past few years, including from New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc. The informant told police that Baker would complete repairs and/or change VIN plates on vehicles so they were roadworthy and could be titled as reconstructed vehicles or to hide the vehicles’ identity.

Police also received a report of items stolen from state game lands 147 in Blair County when Baker’s cellphone data showed he was in the area. The items included tools, tractor wheel weights, batteries, diesel fuel and multiple sickle bar parts.

During the investigation, police also received a court order to place a GPS tracker on the 1997 Mack truck that was suspected stolen from NES&L and followed its movements. On Tuesday, the search warrants were executed on properties belonging to Baker where the stolen dump truck was tracked. More than $300,000 worth of equipment was seized, court records state.

In addition, police seized suspected methamphetamine from Baker.