A midmorning arrest attempt near downtown Hastings turned into a brief but highly visible search Wednesday, as officers from several agencies worked together to locate a man who ran from police and entered Lake Rebecca before being taken into custody.
The incident began around 10:55 a.m. near the intersection of Second Street and River Street, where Hastings Police officers attempted to arrest 37-year-old Joseph Harrison Baynes on a Department of Corrections warrant for a parole violation. According to authorities, Baynes ran from officers on foot toward the Jaycee Park and Lake Rebecca area, prompting a coordinated response that stretched across nearby wooded and river adjacent terrain.
What followed was a quick mobilization that drew attention from residents in the area, as law enforcement resources arrived by land, air, and water to assist in the search.
Officers from the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office and Cottage Grove Police Department joined the search effort, along with the Minnesota State Patrol Air Patrol and Dakota County Park Rangers, including a boat unit. Hastings Fire Department medics were also on scene as a precaution.
Police said Baynes continued moving through the area for roughly half an hour, at one point entering Lake Rebecca while attempting to avoid officers. The search area extended between Nininger Road, Second Street West, and the Mississippi River corridor.
After about 30 minutes, the situation came to a calm conclusion. After approximately 30 minutes of evading officers, including swimming in Lake Rebecca, Bayne was taken into custody at approximately 11:25 a.m. without further incident.
In addition to the outstanding warrant, Baynes was cited for misdemeanor fleeing on foot. He was transported to the Dakota County Jail, where he was being held while awaiting transfer to the custody of the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
Wednesday’s incident was not the first time Baynes had attempted to evade law enforcement during transport or arrest. Authorities previously reported that in August 2023 he escaped from custody while being transported by Dakota County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Bulloch County, Georgia.
At that time, deputies had taken custody of Baynes at a local jail on a Dakota County felony harassment warrant and were transporting him to the Savannah Hilton Head International Airport. During the trip, officials said he managed to escape custody, prompting a large search involving local, state, and federal agencies across wooded airport property. He was reported unarmed, and deputies were not injured during the escape. The circumstances surrounding that incident remaind under investigation at the time.
Records from the Minnesota Department of Corrections show Baynes is currently on intensive supervised release, which began Nov. 6, 2025, and is scheduled to continue through Nov. 13, 2026. That supervision is connected to a felony harassment conviction from October 2025 in Lakeville.
Court records also show a criminal history that spans nearly two decades and includes multiple felony and misdemeanor convictions. Among them are felony domestic assault convictions in 2013 and 2019, several predatory offender registration violations between 2014 and 2019, and a felony violation of a no contact order in 2017.
Additional convictions listed in court records include fifth degree assault in 2023, a gross misdemeanor driving while impaired offense in 2024, and earlier cases involving obstruction of legal process, disorderly conduct, fleeing police on foot in 2015, drug possession in 2013, and terroristic threats in 2008.
Officials said the warrant connected to Wednesday’s arrest attempt was related to a violation of supervised release conditions tied to the 2025 felony harassment conviction.
Residents near Jaycee Park and Lake Rebecca saw officers moving through wooded areas and along the shoreline during the search, though the situation ended without injury and without further disruption once Baynes was taken into custody.
Authorities have not reported any injuries connected to Wednesday’s incident, and the search concluded shortly after the arrest.