Two men charged in home invasion and shooting in Elyria in July

Two Lorain County men are facing multiple felony charges for their alleged involvement in a July 27 home invasion and subsequent July 30 shooting that wounded a man in Elyria. Steven Baker, 23, of West 23rd Street in Lorain, was being held in the Lorain County Jail on $1.5 million bond in two cases. His co-defendant in both, Enrique Hintz, 20, of Middle Avenue in Elyria, was being held in the jail on $1.3 million bond in those and a third case involving an attempted burglary from February. Both men are scheduled to be arraigned tosday in Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Giovanna Bremke's courtroom. July 30 shooting Elyria police and the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office said two alleged victims were sitting in a car parked in a driveway in the 200 block of Wooster Street, between Middle Avenue and East Avenue, just after 2:30 a.m. July 30 when a Chevrolet Malibu pulled up. The passenger in the Malibu got out and fired 12 shots at the parked car. The car was hit eight times and one of the victims was shot in the abdomen, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Chris Pierre said. The gunshot victim, an adult male, had been taken to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center with a non life-threatening wound, the Elyria Police Department said in a news release. Officers quickly identified a suspect vehicle and stopped it. Hintz, who was driving, and Baker, the passenger, were arrested. The shooting was caught on video, Pierre said, and Baker and his clothing matched the shooter. He said both Baker and Hintz were questioned but denied being involved in the shooting. Both men are charged with three counts each of felonious assault and one count each of discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises and tampering with evidence in that case, all felonies. Firearm specifications could add more mandatory prison time if they're convicted. Pierre said when Elyria police searched Hintz's phone following his arrest, they found evidence he and Baker had been talking about another crime they allegedly committed three days earlier: A home invasion. July 27 home invasion In that case, Pierre said Elyria police responded to a 911 call for a robbery in progress at a house on Warren Avenue. The resident, who was not injured, told police three men entered her house, held her at gunpoint, demanded to know where they could find a bag of guns and searched her home until they found it. The men then fled. A search warrant for Hintz's phone gave police evidence he had talked about the alleged crime with Baker, Pierre said. In that case, Baker is charged with eight felonies including kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, grand theft of a firearm or dangerous ordnance, receiving stolen property and unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance. He also is charged with intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case, a misdemeanor. Hintz faces eight felonies including kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, grand theft of a firearm or dangerous ordnance, receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance in that case. The third alleged perpetrator has not yet been charged, Pierre said. Feb. 19 attempted burglary In a third incident, Hintz was charged with attempted burglary, a felony, over a Feb. 19 daytime attempted burglary on Longfellow Street in Elyria. He has pleaded not guilty, and his next hearing is Monday in Judge Chris Cook's courtroom. Pierre said Hintz was one of four men who allegedly tried but failed to break into a house, then left the area in a Toyota Camry. The car was spotted, then allegedly fled from police who followed it to a house on Colgate Avenue. The driver got out and ran inside the house, but the other three men including Hintz stayed in the car and were arrested. Police got a search warrant and found pills, 22 bags of marijuana, cash, gun parts and spent shell casings in the house, Pierre said. Hintz was not charged over those items, only the attempted burglary. Contact Dave O'Brien at 440-329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.