Baker insists it will be. In the last two years, those transactions have involved selling, rather than buying. Publisher Such swaps are not common, but they fit in with the Forest Service's policy of trading to acquire land that is already surrounded by or adjacent to the forest. Baker Donelson is a national law firm with more than 650 attorneys and public policy advisors representing more than 30 practice areas to serve a wide range of legal needs. Noah A. Leathem. She didn't begrudge Baker and his cousins their profit. Crawford, whose parents knew Ralph Baker's father, said his deal with the Bakers was one of several involving family property. Create a free ODMP account now for these benefits: Create an account for more options, or use this form to leave a Reflection now. If you go there, stay to established campgrounds and or use outdoor guide services, or be armed and watch your back. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. I'm ready for them when they come, though. by. Contact. In March 1987, Louann Wheeler, an elderly widow, went to court to win clear title to about four acres of land in southern Madison County. He asked the guy for a driver's license, Location: Arkansas, United States. A much smaller transaction gave Baker his living room back. Rest In Peace. October 19, 1997 at 8:52 p.m. It has sharpened long-standing concerns over drug traffic and law enforcement in the Northwest Arkansas county of 12,943. Any deals that's made will have to be made through your attorney,'" Minor said. Baker, 59, who shares Arkansas' longest tenure with Monroe County Sheriff Larry Morris, sometimes carries in his personal vehicle drugs seized as evidence. "All I do all day is sit around this house and wait for them to come," he says. Ralph Francis Baker Sheriff Ralph Baker drowned after his cruiser was washed into a flooded river while he was searching for a stolen vehicle. What emerges is a tale of methamphetamine and murder in a place known to its residents as "Booger County.". : Jurors cleared Sharp but ordered Baker to pay Bingham $100,320. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Bingham's parents picked him up and drove him to the emergency room at St. Mary's Hospital in Rogers. Please try again. ", Although Baker's daughter denied it, Harp said the two girls and Judy Maggard, Harp's sister, had smoked two joints and got "higher than I usually get off just pot. "They were old-timers. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Management broke up the fight. Baker and his partners now own at least 1,450 acres, mostly in southern Madison County, valued at $227,865, according to tax records. One in every five Madison County residents lives below the poverty level. The newspaper reviewed dozens of court cases and other records, including documents detailing a past crime, a beating and more than 40 land transactions involving Baker. Neither she nor Brashears knew who wanted the land for the shop. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. This is Mac's story of damnation and redemption. All rights reserved. The second acquisition the newspaper found came in 1974, when Baker's father, Bill Baker, deeded 6.23 acres to his son. Of how this officer had died. Those dreams became reality for David Mac after the young man from Michigan settled in Madison County, Arkansas. The marriage apparently didn't settle him down. Arkansas Forestry Commission figures show Madison County produced 111,557 tons of hardwood and 11,502 tons of pine in 1996. But the dealer who claimed to have traded drugs for bogus documents says the case typifies the way business is done in Booger County: "It's a very crooked county, yeah. What do you remember about Sheriff Baker? Neither did Jack Lackey of Combs, who sold 5.19 acres to the three Bakers for $4,000 in 1986, then paid $6,000 when he "just wanted it back" in 1989. I mean just smoking a couple of joints.". Among the Northwest Arkansas law enforcement community, Baker has both detractors and defenders. Again, he and relatives received land instead of money in some deals, and some acreages moved back and forth among family members. There, Davis said, one man arrived drunk, signed his ballot, and handed it to a Democratic judge to fill out. With legal pot on the horizon (medical was voted in here, the first state in the south to do so) stories like this are soon to be quaint but we should all learn the lessons of the so called 'war on drugs.' Baker's penchant for bare knuckles on the back roads won him the title the "Bull of St. She'd trade those for drugs. Minor hadn't yet hired an attorney, but he knew whom Baker meant. No arrests were made. A young Huntsville man whose criminal record includes multiple convictions for stealing shares Harp's perception of how things work. Gulledge said she wanted the Wheeler property, but then realized that, because of the confusion over property lines, it took in the living room of Baker's house. "I realized that Joey Bingham had a speech problem at the time," Baker testified. and there is no need to say more than two words about his service to Madison Phillips, a friend of Criss, told her sisters that she had removed a vial of drugs from Cain's office and given it to Criss. It is empty. Minor said, the case felt like a setup. Senior partner Robert G. Crawford said Noreta Baker wrote him a $200,000 check. With a handful of household chemicals and some ingredients used in hog feed, dealers can produce a drug that sells for $1,600 to $2,000 an ounce. Over the years, confusion had arisen over the property line. In an interview this summer, she said Baker asked her not to talk about the drugs she and Patricia used from his truck before their 1977 accident. Updated: October 31, 2011 . Photo/Video will be published upon admin review and approval. Cain worked as both a private attorney and a public official in a fatal automobile accident involving Phillips, with whom he began a long-running affair in the early 1980s. a part of Madison County's history. The average family earns $24,776 a year, according to the 1990 Census. "I don't know where that boy is," he said. ", BARE KNUCKLES, A DEFERRED SENTENCE AND QUESTIONS ABOUT AN ELECTION. "I've always had a few bucks, and Ralph has, too," he said. "You know you're talking to a dead man," he says. Baker's second-biggest transaction involved a land-for-land trade with the federal government. He's just another man. Jones returned control of the investigation to Baker and Fogley. He drives a marked patrol car. Madison County records show the money was paid to the county's Drug Eradication Fund, $7,500 credited to Craig, $2,500 to his wife. Both of them lost money in the banks when the banks folded in the '20s, '30s.". Learn more. "Ralph's dad was a very well-thought-of man here. (This data I summarized from the front page of Madison County Record dated Jan 8, 1998. They would fail to ask about the curiously unmade bed in the upstairs loft, or to note that someone had thrown the curtain up over the rod at the window, as if to make it a better lookout post. Sheriff Ralph Baker, who's election slogan was "RALPH CARES". "She'd get us stickers for your license plates. His friends are always other cops There is a little town on the map in the book on Highway 23S called Witter. Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Rest in Peace, Sheriff Baker. Ralph Kendrick Baker - beloved doctor, husband, father, and grandfather - died on Friday, January 29, 2021, at Mercy Hospital in Oshkosh, WI, after a short spell of pneumonia. In all, Enfield tossed out 150 votes, and Democrats admitted to 19 defective ballots. In the words of one person who viewed a videotape of the crime scene made at 4:30 that afternoon, the bed appeared to have been "wallered in." they don't exist". He isn't afraid of being arrested by the sheriff. I was pleased to discover that the New York Times rightly devoted as much space to a recent obituary for my local baker . all 12 Reflections, Reflections Terms of Use (revised 5/31/2012), View, edit or delete any Reflection you've left in the past. Marshal: Vacant Courthouse: Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building and United States Courthouse Address: 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room C-109 PO Box 50184. Franklin Lakes NJ 07417. In the 12 elections since, he has been opposed only five times. Fogley is one of the sheriff's most emphatic supporters. Past and Present Sheriffs of Madison County Names that are highlighted or underlined are linked to pages with additional . , Item Weight "It don't happen here," he said. Try again. Drug dealers who acknowledge being paid by either Baker's agency or the federal Drug Enforcement Administration for help with Madison County drug busts say they never received payments of more than $100, and then no more often than a few times a year. Rose, who represented Johnson, told the court he was "personally disappointed" with Johnson's decision. It shows two methcathinone lab busts in Benton County. Now he doesn't know a holiday Fred Raymond Crumley. Create a free ODMP account now for these benefits: Create an account for more options, or use this form to leave a Reflection now. The newspaper's search of records found just one transaction that involved Baker borrowing money. To see our price, add these items to your cart. He had been Madison County Shierff since about 1972 until his death. Sheriff Baker had been employed with the Madison County Sheriff's Department for 27 years, 25 of which as the sheriff. "I'd go in any front door in the country with Ralph Baker. Striking the officer in the chest. He died doing his best. A jury rejected claims Patricia Baker and Nelson each made that the other had crossed the center line on Arkansas 23 a mile north of Huntsville near Withrow Springs State Park. Baker and his wife, sometimes in partnership with other family members, have bought or traded for at least 2,300 acres in Madison, Washington and Franklin counties. Now because of Sheriff Baker's untimely death, many residents : The 1991 black Corvette bears the license plate Booger1. Then I'd go on and after supper I'd probably halve it again and do a quarter. One former drug dealer, early considered a suspect in the Phillips murder, says he was involved in plans with Hathorn, Dennis Cordes, Rory Allen Gregory and Joe Benton Head to build a methamphetamine lab in a cave neighboring Phillips' house. Of Harp's insistence that he admonished her to keep silent, he said: "That's bull****.". There he sold ice cream, ammunition and bait, and served up cheeseburgers and fries. He prays to God above. Lt. Ray Flores (Ret.) And you'll never live long enough to see him out of the pen again,'" Minor remembers. No Import Fees Deposit & $15.24 Shipping to Sweden. Baker said he advised the Chief of Police of Huntsville of the information he had received by radio and sought that officer's assistance. Trudot was in the hospital at the time. Revenue Commissioner Tim Leathers said Criss submitted a "routine resignation" while she was under investigation by Baker for issuing phony driver's licenses and license plate stickers. 'Cause in a moment the officer was dead. The Bakers, owners of adjoining land, were two of the defendants, although the case file contains no indication that they or anyone else contested Wheeler's claim. In Huntsville's drug community, sex is just another form of currency. The tops of both his feet had red semicircular marks, which Claytor attributed to boot heels. 201 W. Main St. Huntsville 72740 (479) 738-6721 http://madisoncogov.com County Judge Larry Garrett Phone: (479) 738-6721 Fax: (479) 738-1544 Mailing Address: P.O. comfort in those memories and in knowing that Ralph will forever remain If you gather all this stuff up, probably if you figure it all out, I've probably made 50[,000] or 100,000 dollars off of land transactions over 30 years," he said. Federal agents are now seeking to interview Cordes. Minor said he called Baker to negotiate and was told things had changed, because Craig was classified as a habitual felon under Arkansas law. Four months after the Bakers bought the tract from Brashears, they sold it to James and Margaret Cornett of Little Rock for $15,000. INSCRIPTION: (Shierff badge with Ralph Baker Shierff Madison County) married March 3, 1956 (on back) They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. He was found still in his seatbelt. He peeks out the window at each passing car. But a friend and fellow law enforcement officer said Baker lost the case because of his choice of clothing. "A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck and day to day. They usually leave him when he uses their share of the crank. Assessor Edward D. "Buck" Ham, who partnered with Baker to buy 120 acres in 1987 and then to sell them nine years later, said Baker is simply a good businessman who knows how and when to buy and sell. I've never been satisfied doing that, and I'm reasonably sure Ralph hasn't either. Cain, along with Phillips' brother and one of her sisters, beat the sheriff's office to her house. But the statistics may deceive. More than three years after she was murdered, Billie Jean Phillips' death has done more than confound and divide law officers. In the past two. He listed his age as 18, hers as 16. RIP, sir. Washington State Department of Corrections, Dallas County Sheriff's Department, Texas, Copyright 1996-2023, The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc, Registration for the 2023 National Police Week 5K goes up $5 on March 2nd save on our introductory pricing and, register today to run or walk in your hometown, Reflections Terms of Use (revised 5/31/2012), View, edit or delete any Reflection you've left in the past. Your memory lives and you continue to inspire. Ten days after the court order, Mildred Gulledge bought Wheeler's land for $6,000. I really enjoyed the book because I know some of the people named in the book and I know the places that they're talking about. "They're doing Craig and me and you and everybody one hell of a favor here," Harper reminded Minor. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime. "Somebody's going to come along and buy it. With interest, it came to $125,829.76. Although the hills and hollows echoed with whispers after the sheriff's alleged suicide, no one dared to reveal the hidden truth behind his double life. The newspaper examined more than 200 documents. Baker, who earns $31,000 a year as Madison County's sheriff and tax collector, declines to talk about his land deals. Johnson said Corkern invited him outside, then grabbed him at the front door of the club. State Constable J.L. The family's well-established ties in the community help as well. "Rusty Cain's been f****** her. Minor, says he twice left envelopes with money on Baker's desk. Ralph A. Baker Birth 17 Aug 1908 Death 6 Jan 1978 (aged 69) Burial. Baker responded. Everett and Knox asked that Hathorn be required to undergo DNA testing, a request they say brought their feud with Baker to a head. He married Noreta Mae Burrell, a St. Paul girl, in March 1956. Please bring me home after my shift Charlie Baker did a 30-minute interview with The Associated Press just days before he officially began his new job as NCAA president. Most of that land is taxed on its value for agricultural use. Nevertheless, F.M. Almost to a person, they expressed a puzzling fear of Ralph Baker. "I wish I could come up on something like that.". Funeral services were held on Friday, respects to Sheriff Baker, who was remembered as someone who never backed "He said, 'Well, I really like your attorney. I've lived there all my life. After eighteen months, Cain's former boss, Prosecuting Attorney Terry Jones of Fayetteville, assigned the case to a special prosecutor and an ex-FBI agent turned private detective. David L. Bell Residents say it was a haven for bank robbers and other outlaws in the 1920s. Meth and murder in Madison County by MICHAEL WHITELEY | October 19, 1997 at 8:52 p.m. HUNTSVILLE From the first radio call two minutes before noon, panic was a partner in the investigation of . October 19, 1997 at 8:55 p.m. Madison county is named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States. Ralph Baker would say little about his family or his early days in St. Paul, but friends say he grew up with two passions -- hunting and fighting. But Baker later solicited the Democrat-Gazette's help. He was one of three children of William McKinley Baker, a former vaudeville musician, and Evangeline Verruchi, the 1927 queen of the Tontitown Grape Festival. Copyright 1996-2023, The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc, Registration for the 2023 National Police Week 5K goes up $5 on March 2nd save on our introductory pricing and, register today to run or walk in your hometown, View And each day when he leaves for work, "We didn't realize he [Brashears] sold it to the Baker boys, the three Bakers, and they were going to sell it to someone we understood was going to put a used-car junk pile on that land.". The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. It is specifically about the part of Arkansas right here where we live. | And it has spurred some of the county's most industrious methamphetamine dealers to claim openly that they can operate unchecked as long as they don't steal to support their habits. 1938/09/01. On May 16, 1986, Baker and Treat arrested Minor and Jerry Samuelson with 75 marijuana plants in the back of their pickup. Contrary to accepted practice among state and local police agencies, Baker maintains no inventory of drugs or other evidence seized by his office and keeps no log of the drugs he destroys. He ended the June interview when the subject came up. He said Baker hit him in the face, and that he was then pushed back inside the club, where Treat hit him in the face. There, Dr. Tanya Claytor noted that Bingham's left ear was swollen, bruised and scraped. Absent proof of the drug allegations, he said, there were insufficient grounds to bring criminal charges. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. consent. Deborah Roelandts (911 retired) The former Madison County oil man, F.M. In the past two. It tracked the deaths of other Madison County people who died under mysterious circumstances. How do you keep the deputy prosecutor out of the crime scene?". In the past two weeks, he has not returned the newspaper's telephone calls. The ranking police official was Madison County Sheriff Ralph Baker, a close friend of the slain convenience store owner. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. ), Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2017, The terrain is very hilly and rocky which doesn't seem like a good area for grow ops, Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2016. Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2010, It just amazes me how these weed growers, as first time authors, write so well. F.M. following a twenty-one gun salute fired by seven Madison County deputies. And some who listened cared less, It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. Crystal meth, known as "crank," is imported from California and Mexico. The former won't speak for attribution. "Definitely foul play," Livermore called back to the dispatcher at 12:53 p.m. The question I had was what is Ralph going to do with it.". "This girl down the street here. Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2017. A letter of condolence from President My Dad and Uncles used to tell us all kinds of stories about Ralph Baker. He ended the June interview when the subject came up. Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. Ralph don't care if you use drugs. Sharp, who now works for the U.S. During interviews, Baker said he aggressively investigates allegations of drug dealing and denied that his county has a methamphetamine problem. One of Baker's fellow party-goers said recently that Johnson started the incident by attacking Corkern, and that Baker hadn't yet arrived. Along with his wife, Noreta, and Kenneth Baker, the sheriff signed a mortgage in 1980 for $8,000, secured by 68 acres of land the two cousins had just acquired for $17,000. Most of Baker's transactions have occurred since 1982, with bursts of activity in the late 1980s and 1992-94. Madison County Clerk Wes Fowler said as far as he knew such money went only for the payment of confidential informants. | The two men agreed that could land him back in prison. He was attempting to cross a low water bridge which was covered with water. His blood wasn't blue - His blood was red. My husband remembers some of the things that happened. 2009/08/22. But Harp said she then ran afoul of the sheriff when she stole $80,000 from a home in the community of Hilltop. "I was police commissioner here for four years," he said last month in Olney, Ill. "I kind of found out how you do things.". I was actually born in Huntsville, Arkansas, the County Seat of Madison County. By the late 1980s, they had turned toward the big money that methamphetamine could bring. For years the vehicles of by Harp's relationship with the sheriff followed her into adulthood. And Everett and Knox said problems with Baker reached the breaking point when they developed fresh leads involving drugs. Madison County's law enforcement department had been developed into one Ralph Baker had served as Sheriff of Madison County, Arkansas, from 1973 until his tragic death on January 5, 1998. I've got a pistol back there, and -- if somebody comes for me -- I'm ready.". "I wanted to give people who lived there the first chance," he said. Baker argued with a female employee on behalf of the unidentified woman, Johnson said. Bill Baker had traveled with the Weaver Brothers, making a national name for himself on the steel guitar. If I got an ounce right now, I'd probably do half of it right away and put the rest up until this afternoon. Crawford said the tract contains some bottom land that had been farmed, but that it is mostly mountain, suitable only for hunting. It's just a little traffic infraction. He worked the regional circuit and opened a store and cafe amid the rolling hills along Arkansas 23. In that time, Baker has taken only one mortgage, for $8,000. Please try again. Ozark Folk Magic: Plants, Prayers & Healing. Johnson said they beat him up after he intervened in a squabble between Baker and a female employee at Fayetteville's Bottoms Up Club on March 4, 1993. Along the way, the unlikely duo of lawman and outlaw discovered that greed ruins even the best-laid plans, and the Devil always gets His due. It split from Washington County and became a separate entity in 1836, the year Arkansas attained statehood and Huntsville became the county seat. On June 13, 1987, Baker and former Huntsville Police Chief Ed Sharp arrested a 19-year-old retarded Rogers man on allegations he had stolen two baseball cards during the annual "Hawgfest" on the town square. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. Harper told Minor that an important part of the deal was to ensure Craig did not have to report to a probation officer and undergo periodic drug testing. 'Cause the crooks don't get any time. I actually have property there. that all of Madison County could be proud of. Sheriff Baker's death has touched Madison He just moves on to the next woman willing to trade sex for drugs. He usually makes the money back on drug sales, he said, and worries more about being killed by a supplier than about getting arrested by the sheriff. . 1988/06/20. All rights reserved. "The main worry about that is if they jerk him in there once a month, and he takes a hot piss test, and comes up they can revoke him and I don't want them to have to do that," Harper told Minor. . MICHAEL WHITELEY Read Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times Newspaper Archives, Dec 28, 1988, p. 1 with family history and genealogy records from fayetteville, arkansas 1936-2003. Baker owns at least 1,450 acres, according to tax records. Merry Christmas too you and your family. "It's tremendously lower than things closer in to Fayetteville, where I live," he said. A Harley enthusiast given to wearing biker gear, Baker wore tan pants, a black shirt and gold chains to the federal courthouse. He called Harper, and Harper called Baker. MADISON, RALPH L. On Friday, March 18, 2005, of Bethesda, MD. Baker and his partners now own at least 1,450 acres, mostly in southern Madison County, valued at $227,865, according to tax records. Ralph Baker had served as Sheriff of Madison County, Arkansas, from 1973 until his tragic death on January 5, 1998. God Bless! Another poll watcher, Derice Davis, signed an affidavit saying that Baker spent most of election day on the porch outside the Hilburn precinct. Yes, the bullet hit its mark, "He said, 'He'll get 20 years for it.'". Baker's biggest transaction occurred two years ago. and Mrs. Bill Clinton said, "May Ralph live on in your good memories of Historians put Madison County's official age at 161. He acknowledges that former Special Prosecutor John Everett and former investigator Jack Knox kept from him much of what they found during the 16 months they headed the investigation. Despite his license plate, the sheriff doesn't know either. The man "had a brother out of his mind or a total drunk all the time," Enfield said. In the past two weeks, he has not returned the newspaper's telephone calls. Kenneth Baker said he doesn't recall, either. James Cornett died last spring. He said I f****** owed him money, and I didn't. "I'm not going to give you the time of day," Sharp said. "But he ain't eating corn on the cob.". Baker dismissed that concern during a three-hour interview in June. And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive "We might not have had the money but we had access to the money. Clipping found in The Madison County Record in Huntsville, Arkansas on Jan 8, 1998. Harper says he doesn't remember the details of the case. Dealings at the courthouse have always provided plentiful fuel for Madison County's rumor mill, which went into overdrive when Diana Criss quit her 12-year job as an Arkansas Revenue Department cashier Aug. 26, 1996. A CAUTIONARY TALE OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN THE "LAW" AND THE "OUTLAWS" COMBINE FORCES, Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2016. Memorial service to be held Tuesday, March 29, 2005 at 2 p.m. in the Club Room of the Westlake Park Condominium, 7425 Democracy Blvd., Bet But he expects to die by September.