and there is no need to say more than two words about his service to Madison Federal agents are now seeking to interview Cordes. Sheriff Ralph Baker, the man who befriended David Mac, and taught him what it means to be an outlaw. U.S. Baker, who earns $31,000 a year as Madison County's sheriff and tax collector, declines to talk about his land deals. 1988/06/20. There are no busts in Madison County. Both say he is above reproach. Sheriff Ralph Baker, who's election slogan was "RALPH CARES". A year later, with Crumbley retiring, Baker won office as part of a slate of political newcomers, defeating Republican Johnny Reed 2,844-2,681. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has interviewed Northwest Arkansas lawmen and government officials, prison inmates, former and current Madison County drug dealers, and the friends and family of Billie Phillips -- more than 130 people in all. So he lay on the ground bleeding. He smiles at a 1996 FBI map of drug labs seized in Arkansas. 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. Ralph Gardner Jr. /. Kenneth Baker said he and his cousin were lucky enough and resourceful enough to come up with the cash they needed. Baker acknowledged that his former son-in-law may have been on a list of suspects he sought Harp's help catching. If you go there, stay to established campgrounds and or use outdoor guide services, or be armed and watch your back. One in every five Madison County residents lives below the poverty level. That's a legitimate way of making money as far as I'm concerned," Margaret Cornett said. God Bless! Those dreams became reality for David Mac after the young man from Michigan settled in Madison County, Arkansas. Rest in Peace, Sheriff Baker. And some who listened cared less, Enfield also rejected a five-page "friend of the court" brief filed by William Jefferson Clinton, a young University of Arkansas law professor. 'Cause a waitress has his salary beat. He seldom ever gets a thanks, Baker said he advised the Chief of Police of Huntsville of the information he had received by radio and sought that officer's assistance. Please try again. "We know the sheriff was doing an investigation," Leathers said. When a shot rang through the night. 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. 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. I didn't pursue it.". However I loaned the copy to another retired cop and it looks like it will making the rounds for a while so I have ordered another copy for myself. Senior partner Robert G. Crawford said Noreta Baker wrote him a $200,000 check. It would bring far more than its tax value on the market. ', "But when you start breaking down doors, then Ralph gets mad," the dealer adds. Almost to a person, they expressed a puzzling fear of Ralph Baker. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. "They were old-timers. There he sold ice cream, ammunition and bait, and served up cheeseburgers and fries. 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. "I think for the NCAA,, until you actually had NIL, it would be hard to know what it was going to look like . "One guy held a shotgun in my face for over an hour last week. Baker responded. Marshal: Vacant Courthouse: Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building and United States Courthouse Address: 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room C-109 PO Box 50184. "Ralph don't put up with any bull****. He's just another man. Chief John Roelandts (retired) Hog member Create a free ODMP account now for these benefits: Create an account for more options, or use this form to leave a Reflection now. Despite his license plate, the sheriff doesn't know either. The ranking police official was Madison County Sheriff Ralph Baker, a close friend of the slain convenience store owner. He said one envelope contained $200, the other $1,000. 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. "Any minute, somebody could pull up here and come for me. 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. 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. 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. It's a story about drugs and arson, murder and suicide, friendship and betrayal. And briefly he thought of his loved ones I'm ready for them when they come, though. It has sharpened long-standing concerns over drug traffic and law enforcement in the Northwest Arkansas county of 12,943. On May 16, 1986, Baker and Treat arrested Minor and Jerry Samuelson with 75 marijuana plants in the back of their pickup. Many asked that they not be identified. 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.' 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. : In 1996, the Hams and Bakers sold 40 of the 120 acres to Phillip McGarrah Jr. and Phillip McGarrah Sr. A notice of escrow documenting the transaction does not indicate a price. My folks were too, and we know so many people," he said. 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. An auto body shop figured in the quick profit that Baker and his cousins turned on the land they bought from Berrian Brashears. Sheriff Ralph Baker, the man who befriended David Mac, and taught him what it means to be an outlaw. I was interested in this book, because my daughter in law had heard of it & wanted to read it. "Up here right now don't put a price on anything unless you want to sell it," said Kenneth Baker. That's no way for a sheriff to be acting," Johnson said he told Baker. He dropped out of school after the ninth grade. Unable to add item to List. "I wish I could come up on something like that.". He ended the June interview when the subject came up. "I sold to her. Minor, says he twice left envelopes with money on Baker's desk. Listen 5:20. The family's well-established ties in the community help as well. "I firmly believe that it was cut and dried, and they knew what was going to happen before it ever happened," he said. Baker, who earns $31,000 a year as Madison County's sheriff and tax collector, declines to talk about his land deals. Your heroism and service is honored today, the 14th anniversary of your death. 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. Ham said he asked the Bakers in because "I had just bought some other land and didn't have the money.". "Definitely foul play," Livermore called back to the dispatcher at 12:53 p.m. He said that Baker had not contacted him until F.M. Phillips had a strong dose of methamphetamine in her bloodstream. Land there is most commonly used for hunting, timber production or, after clearing, pasture. By the late 1980s, they had turned toward the big money that methamphetamine could bring. ", FROM MOONSHINE TO CRANK, THE UNDERSIDE OF MADISON COUNTY. It came as no surprise to local drug dealers or to the family of Billie Jean Phillips. In the past two weeks, he has not returned the newspaper's telephone calls. Absent proof of the drug allegations, he said, there were insufficient grounds to bring criminal charges. Fred Raymond Crumley. 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. One of those involved Craig Minor. In all, Enfield tossed out 150 votes, and Democrats admitted to 19 defective ballots. Your memory lives and you continue to inspire. "I try to never have any bills. In large part, he has been dealing with old friends, acquaintances and neighbors, buying and selling judiciously, usually at a profit. "Billie Phillips, g****** it!" "That goes for both of you. | Time never diminishes respect. Rose, who represented Johnson, told the court he was "personally disappointed" with Johnson's decision. It's one of the last places where you can get a little privacy.". He ended the June interview when the subject came up. After the cruiser was washed into the creek it flipped over trapping him inside. He ended the June interview when the subject came up. Baker, 59, who shares Arkansas' longest tenure with Monroe County Sheriff Larry Morris, sometimes carries in his personal vehicle drugs seized as evidence. Oconomowoc Wisconsin, Chief John Roelandts (retired) Town of Oconomowoc, YOU ARE REMEMBERED TODAY AND THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR LONG AND DEDICATED SERVICE, "The Badge" 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. But the farther I got into the book the more errors I found that were not caught in editing. Past and Present Sheriffs of Madison County Names that are highlighted or underlined are linked to pages with additional . 20 years ago today, Madison County Sheriff Ralph Baker was killed when his car was swept by floodwaters as he attempted to cross a low-water bridge. He said he wasn't aware of any reason for the price to increase so much. Columbia, South Carolina And he gets so mad at the court system , ISBN-13 Thank you for your service to the citizens of Madison County and your fellowman. Police would never raise questions about the mussed bed or take the bedclothes that might have provided some evidence of a killer. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Most of Baker's transactions have occurred since 1982, with bursts of activity in the late 1980s and 1992-94. It was a bed, Phillips' family said later, in which no one ever slept. 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. In the past two weeks, he has not returned the newspaper's telephone calls. 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 Dead 1/8/98 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. Went camping and exploring around the area a few years ago, especially in the Mckillroy WMA and parts of the Ozark NF. Gary Wayne Johnson, a worker at a Wesley broom handle factory, sued Baker, Chief Deputy Steve Treat and former Deputy Steve Corkern, who is now Huntsville's police chief. All rights reserved. Speaking through a local drug user, she said Baker told her not to talk to the Democrat-Gazette a few days after reporters first questioned him about the investigation. Washington County Sheriff Kenneth McKee, who once was the area's only state trooper, said Madison County was a moonshine capital, distributing its top-quality white lightning through the Ozarks and into Oklahoma. "Ralph's dad was kind of like my dad," he said. Sheriff Baker had been employed with the Madison County Sheriff's Department for 27 years, 25 of which as the sheriff. "This girl down the street here. F.M. Historians put Madison County's official age at 161. "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. However, revenue stamps on the sale of the remaining 80 acres to Dr. F. Allan Martin and Debbie Martin of Fayetteville indicate the Bakers and Hams got $39,000 -- a 628 percent increase in the per-acre price. "He doesn't like that.". "I've always had a few bucks, and Ralph has, too," he said. No Import Fees Deposit & $15.24 Shipping to Sweden. . He said the most memorable testimony came from a man who said that Bolinger, who still serves as county treasurer, personally delivered forms to voters allowing Bolinger to take their ballots back the courthouse. Craig and his wife could pay out the remaining $5,000 at $200 a month. respects to Sheriff Baker, who was remembered as someone who never backed The 1991 black Corvette bears the license plate Booger1. 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. 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