Elvis imitator allegedly gives extra rock, lands in jail

9/28/2001

HURON, Ohio - Love me tender? Not in this case.

An Elvis Presley impersonator who performed at a Huron nursing home allegedly punched an employee in a dispute over whether the singer would be paid, police said.

Timothy Baker, 53, of Greenville, Ohio, is to appear this morning in Huron Municipal Court on an assault charge.

Huron police Chief Randy Glovinsky said Mr. Baker was arrested Tuesday night at the Huron Healthcare Center after his look-alike performance of the King's music.

“There was a program director who brought in this entertainer to do whatever they do, this Elvis impersonation,” the chief said. “The entertainer thought he was supposed to get paid, and the program director said there was no such agreement, and the entertainer got mad and slugged him.”

The program director, Daniel Roth, 59, was struck in the face, Chief Glovinsky said. He did not require medical treatment.

Mr. Baker could not be reached for comment yesterday. But his mother, reached at their home in Greenville, said Mr. Baker has traveled the Midwest for years, playing Elvis's music and dressing up like the late rock `n' roll idol.

“He's been all over Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio,” said the woman, who declined to give her name. “He plays all around, at all the nursing homes.

“I know he's always been a musician. He's always loved music,” she said.

Nursing home officials could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Baker, who posted bond Tuesday night, could be sentenced to six months in jail or fined up to $1,000 if convicted of the assault charge, a first-degree misdemeanor.