Ex-County Admin Jailed for Hit-and-Run

Joseph Baird, 68, a former administrator for Indian River County, has been sentenced to 30 days in the Indian River County Jail. The sentence was handed down on June 12 by Judge Robyn Stone after Baird changed his plea to no contest and was adjudicated guilty for leaving the scene of an accident. The legal proceedings began on April 17 when Baird was arrested on misdemeanor charges of causing an accident with an unattended vehicle without leaving identification and resisting an officer without violence, though the latter charge was later dropped.

On March 31, witnesses reported seeing Baird's gray 2022 Dodge Ram truck collide with an abandoned black Acura SUV. Witnesses observed the driver, later identified as Baird, flee the scene on foot, making comments about the crash and avoiding jail. Security footage from The Reef Ocean Resort showed Baird appearing unsteady as he drove his vehicle, hitting a parked truck and then leaving the scene before entering a local restaurant.

Baird, who retired in 2016 after serving 12 years as county administrator, has a prior history of legal troubles. In June 2022, he received a one-year probation for stalking an ex-girlfriend. He also faced charges in 2012 for damaging an entry gate, which were dropped, and a 2009 DUI charge that resulted in a suspended license after he refused a Breathalyzer test. He was acquitted of the DUI charges after a trial.