On January 25, Sitka Police responded to a call from a family member of 38-year-old Derek Baird. She said Baird had pushed her and was throwing away her food.
According to court documents, when Officers Andrew Broschat and Parker White arrived at the home, they directed Baird to step outside for an interview, and he threatened to assault them.
Police say from that point on, Baird did not comply with instructions and resisted arrest. After Baird allegedly fought police attempts to handcuff him, officers sprayed him with pepper spray twice, and he continued to fight back and threaten the officers. They also tried to use a taser to subdue Baird. At one point, he tried to grab the taser from them, and at another point he grabbed a spent pepper spray canister, which he pointed at officers.
Police say Baird then attempted to grab a large metal pole in the yard to use as a weapon. At this point, officers were running short on mace and out of taser cartridges. One officer removed his duty gun from its holster and continued ordering Baird to comply. Baird was unsuccessful at removing the pole from the ground, and began to collect random items from the front yard and throw them at officers. Shortly thereafter, Officer Richard Meunier and Sergeant Lance Ewers arrived on the scene. Baird allegedly threw a “basketball sized” block of ice at Ewers, who eventually tased Baird, and administered elbow strikes until they were able to cuff him and take him into custody.
During the arrest, multiple officers sustained injuries to their hands and arms. On February 5, a Sitka grand jury indicted Baird on one count of felony assault. He is currently in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau. A competency hearing in his case is scheduled for May 4.
The same grand jury also indicted 21-year-old Chandler Coonradt for felony assault in the third degree last month, after he allegedly threatened a woman with a weapon while intoxicated. Police say video evidence provided by the person reporting the abuse showed that Coonradt pointed a gun at the victim and threatened to shoot her. A hearing in Coonradt’s case is scheduled mid-May.
The same grand jury also indicted 30-year-old Keith Nelson Jr. on two felony counts of tampering with physical evidence. Nelson is in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center awaiting trial for charges stemming from a grocery store robbery in 2025. He was charged with evidence tampering after he allegedly attempted to alter the results of a urinalysis drug test while in police custody.
A grand jury also indicted a Sitkan in a similar, but unrelated, evidence tampering case. According to court documents, on January 26, 30-year-old Vaughn Dalton allegedly smuggled a bottle of urine into the Sitka jail house and attempted to use it to evade drug testing. Police say a subsequent drug tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamines. On February 9, a grand jury indicted Dalton on two felony counts of tampering with evidence, and one count of violating conditions of release. Dalton is currently in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center. A trial in his case is tentatively scheduled for late April.
Also in February, 47-year-old Kelly Worley was arrested after threatening to harm a staff member at a local nonprofit, and damaging several cars parked nearby. On February 19, a grand jury indicted Kelly Worley on one felony count of criminal mischief, and one misdemeanor assault charge. The next hearing in Worley’s case is scheduled for mid-April.
KCAW has reached out to attorneys representing all of the defendants for comment.
Editor’s Note: KCAW previously reported on a sixth indictment in February in connection with a deadly boating accident that killed two Sitka teenagers in 2024. Read more about that here. Additionally, KCAW omits some details when reporting domestic violence cases to protect the identities of survivors and children involved.
