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Police capture suspect in death of Tennessee deputy

By Sara Shayanian
Steve Wiggins was captured Friday in connection to the shooting death of deputy Daniel Baker, who was found dead in his car this week. Photo courtesy Tennessee Bureau of Investigation/Twitter
Steve Wiggins was captured Friday in connection to the shooting death of deputy Daniel Baker, who was found dead in his car this week. Photo courtesy Tennessee Bureau of Investigation/Twitter

June 1 (UPI) -- A man suspected of killing a Tennessee deputy this week was captured Friday, the state's investigative bureau said.

Steve Wiggins was identified as a person of interest in the death of Sgt. Daniel Baker, who was found dead Wednesday in his car in a wooded area after he failed to report while checking a suspicious vehicle.

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Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Dereck Stewart said a trooper spotted Wiggins in Hickman County, Tenn., Friday after he'd noticed tattoos that matched the suspect description. Wiggins was arrested without incident, he said.

"He stopped and approached the individual. It's at that point in time when he withdrew his weapon and ordered the suspect to get on the ground," Stewart said.

Stewart said Wiggins likely hid in the woods for two days. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

"This is not closure for us," Dickson County Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe Sherriff said.

A statement from Baker's wife, Lisa, said, "there are no words to describe the level of devastation."

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said a video initially helped them identify Wiggins as a suspect.

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A woman, Erika Castro-Miles, 38, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to Baker's death.

An affidavit said she told police she watched as Wiggins shot the 32-year-old deputy. Officials said she fled the scene and police later found her hiding under a nearby house.

The day before Baker's death, Wiggins was charged with aggravated assault, accused of slapping and pulling Castro-Miles' hair and threatening her with a gun.

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