A State College man accused of raping a 1-year-old girl in 2019 was convicted Tuesday.
Authorities say Jackson Baker, now age 54, was found guilty on all the charges he faced, including rape of a child and unlawful contact with a minor.
Baker was arrested in June of 2019 after a witness told police that, earlier that year, he saw Baker sexually assaulting the infant inside the basement of a home.
According to the criminal affidavit, police say another witness had suspected Baker of being a pedophile based upon previous “inappropriate” comments that he (Baker) had made about children.
Police say the witness also claimed that Baker had been investigated by Children and Youth Services in Florida.
After further investigation, police say they found Baker had multiple contacts with CYS throughout his life, including being accused of taking photos of young boys in their underwear on a camping trip while he was working as a Royal Rangers leader in Ohio.
Police say Baker denied all the allegations and claimed that the accusations that he had assaulted the infant were the result of him being framed by a homeless man who wanted to move into his home.
Authorities say the witness to the alleged assault of the infant testified that he had stopped Baker from continuing to rape the child but “did nothing to save the baby” as he was “too stunned by what he saw.”
Baker is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
