Ohio Governor Ted Strickland issued an arrest warrant and has ordered that Clermont County Judge James Shriver consider extraditing Amy Baker to Kentucky.
But prosecutors in Mason County, Ky., will have to wait until a mid-July hearing to find out if the judge will comply and order Baker, 25, to stand trial across the river for her role in the death of murdered foster child Marcus Fiesel late last summer.
Baker’s court-appointed defense attorney Norm Aubin said that he was shocked that Governor Strickland took less than a day to make the decision on the extradition request. Citing the unique circumstances surrounding the case, he expected the governor to take more time in reviewing the request for his client.
Governor Strickland did not receive the paperwork until May 21 because of an error that delayed its arrival to his Columbus offices. Baker’s extradition request, which was initially sent from Mason County to the Kentucky state capital of Frankfort, got mixed up in Governor Fletcher’s office and was sent directly back to Mason County; it was supposed to have been immediately forwarded to Strickland’s offices.