Michael Anthony Baltimore, who appeared on multiple episodes of 90 Day Fiance and Happily Ever After, was arrested in Florida on Friday. At the time of his arrest, Baltimore was on the US Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted List stemming from a May, 2021 shooting that left a barbershop co-worker (and 90 Day Fiance co-star) dead and another man injured.
Making matters worse for Baltimore is the reason he was arrested was numerous unrelated charges, including eight felonies.
The U.S. Marshals issued a press release revealing that police in Davie, Florida were called in regards to a fight at a local bar. According to the caller, a man allegedly battered an employee of the bar while holding a knife. The man also reportedly threatened to retrieve a gun from his vehicle before leaving the bar.
The vehicle driven by the suspect was later spotted by police with two occupants. At roughly 2:41AM on January 13, the vehicle was pulled over. The vehicle was driven by a woman, who was allowed to go after officers were able to determine that she was not the owner of the vehicle and was not involved in the altercation at the bar.
The other person in the car was a man identified by the bar fight victim as the assailant. The suspect reportedly gave police a fake name, but fingerprints later determined the man to be Michael Baltimore.
Police searched the vehicle Baltimore was in and reportedly found a loaded firearm, 2.3 grams of fentanyl, over 200 grams of marijuana, 818 ecstasy pills, and three fake IDs.
44-year-old Michael Baltimore was booked into a Broward County jail, where he currently remains in custody. According to jail and court records, Baltimore is facing the following charges in Florida stemming from his arrest on Friday:
• Trafficking Phenethylamines/MDMA between 200-400 grams (1st degree felony)
• Possession of a firearm by a felon from another state (2nd degree felony)
• Use or threatened use of a weapon during a felony (2nd degree felony)
• Possession of Fentanyl (3rd degree felony)
• Possession with intent to sell marijuana (3rd degree felony)
• 3 counts of using false information to obtain a driver’s license (3rd degree felony)
• Battery (1st degree misdemeanor)
• Providing false ID to law enforcement (1st degree misdemeanor)
It remains unclear when Baltimore will be sent back to Pennsylvania to face his pending charges there, including murder.
U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald L. Davis expressed his gratitude to local law enforcement for the capture of Baltimore in a press release:
I want to thank the police officers in Davie, Florida for their diligence in arresting the fugitive. I am also very appreciative of the efforts of our partners in Cumberland County who have been working on this case. I hope his capture brings some sense of relief and comfort to his victims’ families.
WHTM shared an additional statement from Cumberland County District Attorney Sean M. McCormack”
We were very pleased to hear that Michael Baltimore was taken into custody early this morning in Florida. I commend the police officers in Davie, Florida, for their alert response and safe apprehension of Baltimore. I also want to commend the U.S. Marshals Service and the Carlisle Police for their constant efforts over the past year and half to locate Michael Baltimore. Now that he is in custody, we can finally begin the court process where he will be facing first-degree murder charges for the May 22, 2021, shooting of Kendell Cook at the GQ Barber Shop in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Michael Baltimore shooting details
For more information about the May, 2021 shooting and Michael Baltimore’s involvement, plus details about his appearances on 90 Day Fiance, below is an excerpt from our previous post.
According to multiple eye witnesses, Baltimore walked into GQ Barbershop with a handgun wearing camouflage and a mask. Kendell Cook addressed Baltimore by name and attempted to flee. Baltimore reportedly shot him several times.
One of the witness was a man named Anthony White. White also attempted to flee from the barbershop and was also shot by Michael. “White positively identified the gunman as Michael Baltimore,” reads the police report from the incident. “White stated he had known Baltimore since childhood and previously worked with Baltimore at the GQ Barbershop.”
Michael Baltimore was arrested in November of 2019 and charged with multiple felonies after allegedly taking a 9mm pistol from a customer. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Baltimore was on parole at the time of his arrest after being released in December of 2017.
Michael Baltimore on 90 Day Fiance
90 Day Fiance viewers will remember Michael Baltimore and shooting victim Kendell Cook as the two barbers who informed Ashley Martson that her husband, Jay Smith, had sex with a woman in the barbershop bathroom during an episode of Happily Ever After.
Both men were featured on multiple episodes, including casual conversation scenes with Ashley’s ex-husband, Jay Smith. Here are a couple screen caps:
Soon after the shooting, Ashley shared a news article about the incident on Instagram. “I’m truly saddened to see this,” she wrote. “Praying hard for everyone involved. This is the barbershop who told me about Jay’s transgressions on 90 Day Fiance.”
In her next Instagram posts, Ashley shared screen caps of Jay’s barber, Kendell Cook, and wrote: “RIP Kendall” along with a breaking heart animated gif. (Ashley incorrectly spelled Kendall’s name with an “a” instead of two “e”s.)
Additional photos of Michael Baltimore:
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
