Utah fugitive pleads guilty in Florida
A former Salt Lake resident who fled the state amid hazardous waste-dumping charges has admitted to armed assault on law enforcement officers, illegally possessing firearms and environmental violations.
Larkin Baggett, 55, appeared in U.S. District Court in Key West, Fla., to plead guilty to possessing eight firearms, including assault rifles, while a fugitive from Utah. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of assault on federal agents and one count of assault on a sheriff's deputy, while using a deadly weapon. He also admitted to violating federal hazardous disposal laws while in Utah.
Baggett is accused of pointing a semiautomatic rifle at a team of five local and federal police officers on March 10 in Florida, forcing them to open fire. Baggett suffered multiple gunshot wounds that left him hospitalized in critical condition. He was released from a hospital last week and booked into jail.
Baggett was to stand trial on the charges Monday. He is now scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 14. He faces a maximum term of up to 10 years in prison on the fugitive possessing a firearm charge and up to 20 years on each of the four assault with a deadly weapon charges. He faces an additional three to five years on the hazardous disposal violations.
Police were searching for Baggett in the Florida Keys because he had fled Utah to avoid a trial on federal environmental charges.
Prosecutors contend Baggett dumped hazardous materials in the sewers outside his Salt Lake truck-wash business, Chemical Consultants Inc. Baggett pleaded not guilty to the charges in September 2007.
E-MAIL: gfattah@desnews.com
Recent comments
I met Larkin back in 1988 when he was selling cleaning chemicals and...
Are You Kidding | July 8, 2009 at 11:06 a.m.
- House opens debate on health care 10:02 a.m.
- Utah snail no longer protected 9:47 a.m.
- NATO strike kills Afghan soldiers 9:20 a.m.
- Seattle team posits space elevator 9:17 a.m.
- Fort Hood suspect asked for advice 9:15 a.m.
- Dominoes form tribute in Berlin 9:14 a.m.
- Ida spurs tropical storm warnings 9:13 a.m.
- High school football week 12 2:40 a.m.
- Teahen moves to White Sox 2:12 a.m.
- High school volleyball schedule 2:11 a.m.
- Report details Prop 8 aftermath
404 - Gay advocates trek to LDS office
192 - Dirk does dirty work in Dallas
190 - Letters: Care not a right
184 - Lobo suspended
152 - Speed has never been BYU's game
136 - Jazz stumble in fourth quarter
106 - Prep football: San Juan vs. S. Sevier
100 - RSL rallies to advance
99 - Thousands protest health bill
98
Why do so many people live so close to refineries in Utah and elsewhere?
NASA's Stardust probe continues to bring new knowledge about the nature...
This team reminds my of Davis' 1976 State Champions, they play as a team and...
BACK UP HERE - "A Muslim leader says the Army psychiatrist suspected of going...
I was really hoping for more out of Tyler Haws it seems like he has a lot of...
C'mon now! Obviously, this was childlike, immature behavior at it's best,...
Good column. Also, I think you make a great point here, "I applaud...
THe 12-18 schools were the ones who did not have a healthy reserve of cash....
If BYU can dominate Wyoming as badly as Utah did...
Ya someone deserves to win because they love the game! I guess everyone...
Wes knew how to get thru the picks.He did a heck of a job on defense. On...
As an active practicing/believing member of the church, I still think the...

