"Homebodies don't get in much trouble unless you're kicking down doors," the man said. Rose, who represented Johnson, told the court he was "personally disappointed" with Johnson's decision. Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2017. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. "I try to never have any bills. When a shot rang through the night. Cain, along with Phillips' brother and one of her sisters, beat the sheriff's office to her house. When Money Grew on Trees: The True Tale of a Marijuana Moonshiner and the Outlaw Sheriff of Madison County, Arkansas. Otherwise, he has paid cash. they don't exist". Sergeant He also owns a Chevrolet Corvette and a Honda Acura, two Harley Davidson motorcycles, five trucks and 19 cows. One in every five Madison County residents lives below the poverty level. But it is also cooked around the knobby hills of Madison and Newton counties, say the people who sell it. "I've worked with Ralph Baker 21 years. Fifty-eight reached disposition, yielding 51 convictions -- an average of about 10 per year. Interviews with investigators indicate the conversation went something like this: "Billie Phillips is dead," Baker told Fogley. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. 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. Now because of Sheriff Baker's untimely death, many residents The lumber and wood-products business is a major source of employment, according to census records. Baker, who earns $31,000 a year as Madison County's sheriff and tax collector, declines to talk about his land deals. The population of Madison County is 16,521 (2020 Census). Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. 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." Terry Jones, the prosecuting attorney for Madison and Washington counties, is among the latter. But a friend and fellow law enforcement officer said Baker lost the case because of his choice of clothing. Green S.C. State Constables. Baker responded. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reviewed mortgage, deed and property tax records in Madison, Carroll, Franklin, Sebastian and Washington counties. 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. 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 They have paid out about $484,250, including one $200,000 purchase. "The case will be solved when Ralph Baker wants it solved," Knox said when he resigned. No arrests were made. Publisher Having raised pot in Arkansas myself and then sent off to the pen for five years I can certainly relate and assure the audience the local cops are indeed in on it in this state. The one whos blood runs blue. He tracked it back to a break-in at a south Fayetteville auto shop. "We know the sheriff was doing an investigation," Leathers said. 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. Bingham's attorneys alleged that Baker and Sharp then began hitting and kicking Bingham, who the attorneys said had a speech impediment and the mind of an 11-year-old. Both say he is above reproach. Senior partner Robert G. Crawford said Noreta Baker wrote him a $200,000 check. The DEA has identified one of them as the largest in U.S. history. She says the paraphernalia charge was incidental. 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 don't owe anything, and I haven't owed anything in years.". INSCRIPTION: (Shierff badge with "Ralph Baker Shierff Madison County) married March 3, 1956 But Harp said she then ran afoul of the sheriff when she stole $80,000 from a home in the community of Hilltop. He approached Baker because he had heard the sheriff was in the market for property in the area. The funeral procession Testimony showed that, in one precinct, 140 people signed in to vote, and 155 cast ballots. For years the vehicles of Ride safe in heaven. Rest In Peace. 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. : He does it everyday. Ralph Baker in Florida. The two men agreed that could land him back in prison. Ralph A. Baker Birth 17 Aug 1908 Death 6 Jan 1978 (aged 69) Burial. Harper first told Minor that he would have to pay Baker and the DEA $15,000 to keep his son out of prison. Minor and Samuelson got probation on the marijuana charge, but were sentenced to five years in prison on a first-degree battery conviction. But she'll have to give me half of it back.". Although he has been committed for drug and psychiatric treatment, he says there's no way out from the crank. Today, his presence continues to be felt across the county. I knew he bought land. "I've always had a few bucks, and Ralph has, too," he said. God Bless! I purchased this book through my daughter's Amazon link. Her skull had been fractured with her son's T-ball bat, which lay by the bed, splintered. "Up here right now don't put a price on anything unless you want to sell it," said Kenneth Baker. He died doing his best. 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 Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. Sheriff Baker lost his life in the flooded waters of White River near St. Paul in the early morning hours while investigating the theft of stolen property in the area. State Constable J.L. The man, Joey Bingham, began kicking the patrol car before the two officers forced him into the car and drove him back to the sheriff's office, Baker testified in a subsequent civil lawsuit. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. After that, the two generally kept their money in their pockets, he said. As a teen-ager, Sandra Harp said, she and Baker's daughter moved freely through the sheriff's office and the jail. To respond to calls unknown. "Why don't you cool down? 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. Ralph Baker had served as Sheriff of Madison County, Arkansas, from 1973 until his tragic death on January 5, 1998. Sheriffs of Madison County Ralph Baker Ralph Baker Article by Joy Russell Back to Previous Page Anyone having Information, Pictures, Stories, or Corrections, regarding the Sheriff's of Madison County that they would like to contribute for publication please contact ralberts@mcso.info All rights reserved. 1938/09/01. "A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck and day to day. He said I f****** owed him money, and I didn't. 'Cause he works all year round. Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. He isn't married. Sheriff Baker had been employed with the Madison County Sheriff's Department for 27 years, 25 of which as the sheriff. Sheriff Baker lost his life in the flooded waters of White River near St. Paul in the early morning hours while investigating the theft of stolen property in the area. Baker's penchant for bare knuckles on the back roads won him the title the "Bull of St. Kenneth Baker later sold his share to Ralph and Noreta for $10,000, and the Bakers sold the land to Casondra LeMay of Kansas City, Mo., for $20,000 in 1989. We dont share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we dont sell your information to others. She said Baker and other police there to celebrate the marriage of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Lance King got so rowdy she was forced to close the club. "One guy held a shotgun in my face for over an hour last week. Baker declined to discuss the case, referring all questions to the empty court file. Clinton argued that Smith was within the law when he circulated absentee ballots around the nursing home and then mailed them back to the courthouse. "It's tremendously lower than things closer in to Fayetteville, where I live," he said. 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. He called Harper, and Harper called Baker. Imagine piles of money that literally grew on trees. He said that Baker had not contacted him until F.M. "I hope he appreciates it and takes advantage of it.". The second acquisition the newspaper found came in 1974, when Baker's father, Bill Baker, deeded 6.23 acres to his son. "Some of the two- and three-way deals, you might make a couple of thousand dollars each off of it," he said. He was attempting to cross a low water bridge which was covered with water. Create a free ODMP account now for these benefits: Create an account for more options, or use this form to leave a Reflection now. He has been involved in transactions to sell at least 1,092 acres, receiving about $319,000. Baker's former property became part of the Ozark National Forest. comfort in those memories and in knowing that Ralph will forever remain So I can see the ones I love. The ranking police official was Madison County Sheriff Ralph Baker, a close friend of the slain convenience store owner. All I have is hearsay," said Joy Russell, the county's leading historian. Many asked that they not be identified. A police officer he is known. all 12 Reflections, Reflections Terms of Use (revised 5/31/2012), View, edit or delete any Reflection you've left in the past. by. Of how this officer had died. JEFF PORTER 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. During a lawsuit filed by Baker and his daughter against the driver of the other vehicle, Rodney Nelson, Harp testified that the sheriff's glove compartment contained marijuana, pills and white powder she believed to be cocaine in bags marked "Property of Madison County. 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. Madison County Clerk Wes Fowler said as far as he knew such money went only for the payment of confidential informants. The newspaper's search of records found just one transaction that involved Baker borrowing money. Ham said he asked the Bakers in because "I had just bought some other land and didn't have the money.". Indeed, Baker's internal records show that Baker and Chief Deputy Steve Treat paid a total of $835 to drug informants between 1993 and September 1997 in amounts ranging from $25 to $125. "I was dealing drugs over there for years and years and years and was never busted for drugs in Madison County," Harp said during a July interview at the Arkansas Department of Correction Tucker Unit, about a month before she was released on parole. Knox deleted references to confidential sources he said were afraid for their safety and gave Jones his notes on Sept. 29. "You know you're talking to a dead man," he says. Published on Jan 31, 2021. October 19, 1997 at 8:52 p.m. 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 . In the past two. When I was little I remember the Cock Fights in our yard and the Moonshine in the Sheds. Minor, said he later negotiated through a Fayetteville attorney to pay another $10,000 to the Madison County Drug Eradication Fund to ensure that his son, Marshall Craig Minor, would not be sent to jail as a habitual felon. Baker said in the June interview that he had probably put the drugs into his truck to drive to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for testing. "Ralph's dad was a very well-thought-of man here. "Billie Phillips, g****** it!" Someone recommended this book to my husband and he couldn't wait to start reading it. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. Went camping and exploring around the area a few years ago, especially in the Mckillroy WMA and parts of the Ozark NF. "We might not have had the money but we had access to the money. Sheriff Ralph Baker, the man who befriended David Mac, and taught him what it means to be an outlaw. Ralph Francis Baker Madison County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas End of Watch: Monday, January 5, 1998 Sheriff Ralph Baker drowned after his cruiser was washed into a flooded river while he was searching for a stolen vehicle. Madison County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas. I actually have property there. From the first marijuana seed he planted, to the Devil's bargain Mac struck with Sheriff Baker, this book explores their harrowing journey on the twisted outlaw trail. The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Lt. Ray Flores (Ret.) Baker testified that he earned a little less than $20,000 as sheriff, and that he owned 648 acres of forest and farm land in Madison and Franklin counties and a share of a lake lot in Missouri. I hope you enjoy the book. Thank you for your service. Copyright 1999 - All Rights Reserved You didn't want to be on his bad side !!!! Biography ID: 38791252 . He said he didn't know how the Bakers got the money: "I kind of had a feeling it was from her family. Your sacrifice is not forgotten. 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. : Sheriff Ralph Baker, the man who befriended David Mac, and taught him what it means to be an outlaw. Bill Baker's legacy to his only son was 6.23 acres of mountains and trees near the north end of the canopied highway that University of Arkansas fans know as the Pig Trail. Most of Baker's transactions have occurred since 1982, with bursts of activity in the late 1980s and 1992-94. I've never been satisfied doing that, and I'm reasonably sure Ralph hasn't either. 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. 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