Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies arrested a suspect linked to vehicle burglaries across six states on Friday, July 31, after tracking him to a Target parking lot in The Woodlands and using a PIT maneuver to end a slow-speed chase.

Leonard Baker now faces three charges in Montgomery County: credit and debit card abuse of an elderly victim, burglary of a motor vehicle, and evading arrest in a motor vehicle with a previous conviction. He also had an active state parole warrant.

The arrest began with a tip from a detective at the Hoover Police Department in Alabama, who had been investigating Baker and provided details about his crime patterns and possible location in the area, according to Montgomery County Police Reporter. Baker is linked to vehicle burglaries and thefts in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

Armed with that information, deputies learned Baker had burglarized a vehicle in the parking lot of the YMCA in the 6100 block of Shadowbend Place. Patrol deputies canvassed the surrounding area and found Baker at the Target in the 1100 block of Lake Woodlands Drive.

When deputies attempted a traffic stop, Baker refused to pull over. A slow-speed pursuit followed. Deputies deployed the Precision Immobilization Technique, a controlled bumping maneuver used to end vehicle chases, and brought Baker's car to a stop.

He did not resist.

Additional charges from other jurisdictions are expected, though no specific timeline or court date has been announced.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office credited the Hoover Police Department detective's work as providing the crucial information that ended Baker's multi-state crime spree.

Sheriff Wesley Doolittle has maintained a public stance against out-of-state criminals targeting Montgomery County. "Criminals who think they can come here to hide or bring violence into our community better think again," Doolittle said in a March 2025 press release after deputies and federal partners captured a Louisiana murder suspect hiding in the county.

Residents who have information about vehicle burglaries or suspicious activity can contact the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line or submit tips through the agency's website.