Yes, the bullet hit its mark, What's left is about $10 worth, and I'll give it to her. "We are more convinced than ever that we have a lawsuit against all three defendants. He said that he once asked Baker to sell him drugs from the evidence closet. No arrests were made. Then, in June, the Bakers sold the land back to the Cornetts -- for $15,000. "The case will be solved when Ralph Baker wants it solved," Knox said when he resigned. The marriage apparently didn't settle him down. Contact. This is Mac's story of damnation and redemption. He was fascinated by this story of supposedly "easy" money and the effect it had on these people's lives. The convicted thief and drug dealer, now 34, said she refused when Baker asked her to set up his former son-in-law in a drug deal during a 1994 custody fight over Baker's granddaughter. Sheriff Ralph Baker drowned after his cruiser was washed into a flooded river while he was searching for a stolen vehicle. He talked about how he does it one day last summer. Crawford, whose parents knew Ralph Baker's father, said his deal with the Bakers was one of several involving family property. And you'll never live long enough to see him out of the pen again,'" Minor remembers. 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of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In January 1985, Dr. James Kelly Cornett of Little Rock, his sisters and their spouses gave about 10 1/2 acres in southern Madison County to their cousin, Brashears, and his wife, Reta. January 5, 2017 Your heroism and service is honored today, the 14th anniversary of your death. Cornett said Baker is a distant cousin who leases land from the Cornett family. Morgan has. Of Harp's insistence that he admonished her to keep silent, he said: "That's bull****.". Johnson went to the hospital. He peeks out the window at each passing car. "I think real estate's a good investment. By the late 1980s, they had turned toward the big money that methamphetamine could bring. "Definitely foul play," Livermore called back to the dispatcher at 12:53 p.m. Madison county is named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States. A week after the murder, Cain was fired for interfering in the investigation. A young Huntsville man whose criminal record includes multiple convictions for stealing shares Harp's perception of how things work. He started smoking marijuana at 10 and moved to harder drugs three years later. But the farther I got into the book the more errors I found that were not caught in editing. Of how this officer had died. Court: COUNTY; Disposition: ADJUDICATION WITHHELD; Disposition Date: Jul 06, 2010; Case NO: 2009-MM-013183-A-O; Arresting Agency: ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE; Ralph Baker . He said he doesn't worry about the criminal consequences of a crystal methamphetamine -- or "crank" -- habit that costs $4,800 to $6,000 a week. "But he ain't eating corn on the cob.". Madison County residents could be seen with bumper stickers which said "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. Less than a year later, in February 1994, the Ham trust sold a half-interest to the R&N Baker Trust, again for $4,000. He called Harper, and Harper called Baker. Baker said 19 months of NIL in its current state has helped reveal the pitfalls. Steven Dwan Treat (Appointed 12 Jan 1998) 1951/10/19. Roy Cain stated at Ralph's funeral when talking about a replacement Some reviewers didn't like the fact that the author would "reveal" something bad coming up before it happened but Joe said that it did not have a negative effect on the story for him. Rusty could be a g******** suspect. Brashears said he attended school with Ralph Baker and has known him for decades. . Ralph Francis Baker was born Sept. 1, 1938, near the town of St. Paul, once a bustling banking, railroad and timber center in southern Madison County. He listed his age as 18, hers as 16. 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. But the Department's budget didn't buy Minor and Samuelson got probation on the marijuana charge, but were sentenced to five years in prison on a first-degree battery conviction. Madison County is a county located in the state of Arkansas. Today on the 10th anniversary of your death, we pause and say a prayer for your family and loved ones that you left behind. "That's all I realized, and that he was a very small man.". Jones returned control of the investigation to Baker and Fogley. "They were old-timers. to number about 2000 gathering to honor Sheriff Baker. The county seat is Huntsville. It is specifically about the part of Arkansas right here where we live. As a teen-ager, his daughter, Patricia Baker, and a friend, Sandra Harp, found some of them in the glove compartment of the sheriff's pickup on March 6, 1977. That underneath his badge and gun, The question I had was what is Ralph going to do with it.". ", But Enfield did say the trial helped illustrate that Madison County is a "different world.". Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. He prays to God above. Baker said he doesn't know much about the case, because the state was handling it. '", TWO LAWSUITS, HINTS OF THE HIGH LIFE AND THE SHERIFF. It's kind of scary. The instant suspect was Howard "Rusty" Cain Jr., the county's lead prosecutor, who had a longtime, on-again, off-again affair with Phillips. Madison County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas. There are no busts in Madison County. That's no way for a sheriff to be acting," Johnson said he told Baker. 2009/08/22. Federal agents are now seeking to interview Cordes. He said I'd be dead by September anyway.". Allred, who replaced Cain as deputy prosecuting attorney, said he was unaware of drug allegations in the Criss case until after she resigned. I've got a pistol back there, and -- if somebody comes for me -- I'm ready.". But the statistics may deceive. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. He says Baker has told him the rules. It would bring far more than its tax value on the market. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. He is in his mid-20s. "This girl down the street here. A Harley enthusiast given to wearing biker gear, Baker wore tan pants, a black shirt and gold chains to the federal courthouse. ), 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. In Huntsville's drug community, sex is just another form of currency. 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. Under pressure from Baker, Everett and Knox resigned Aug. 7 from their unpaid positions. Enfield, now retired in Benton County, said the election challenge was significant "only from the fact that Clinton ended up as governor and as president. That's a legitimate way of making money as far as I'm concerned," Margaret Cornett said. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reviewed mortgage, deed and property tax records in Madison, Carroll, Franklin, Sebastian and Washington counties. Baker said that he also conveyed the information to the State Police. He isn't married. Fifty-eight reached disposition, yielding 51 convictions -- an average of about 10 per year. 'Cause he works all year round. Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2016. Until now. He said one envelope contained $200, the other $1,000. Covered with blood, Frank Eytchenson made his way to a local veterinarian's house and then to the hospital. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. He seldom ever gets a thanks, It split from Washington County and became a separate entity in 1836, the year Arkansas attained statehood and Huntsville became the county seat. 'Cause a waitress has his salary beat. He said he wants to clear some of his land and raise cattle on it. In the past two. But he said such deals weren't unusual among attorneys, police and prosecutors in Northwest Arkansas. 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. "RALPH CARES". Interviews with investigators indicate the conversation went something like this: "Billie Phillips is dead," Baker told Fogley. He's paid by the citizens' taxes "It's tremendously lower than things closer in to Fayetteville, where I live," he said. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. , ISBN-10 He knows there might not be a tomorrow During the next four hours, Baker and Fogley would allow Cain to repeatedly enter the crime scene. The one whos blood runs blue. We'd put them on our tags, and we'd just hope we wouldn't get stopped.". On May 16, 1986, Baker and Treat arrested Minor and Jerry Samuelson with 75 marijuana plants in the back of their pickup. In 1987, the two county officials and their wives had bought 120 acres of timberland from Minsie Leathem, the widow of former Sheriff Noah Leathem, for $8,000. 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. This is his tale about life as a marijuana moonshiner in the Ozark Mountains, and the corrupt sheriff who made it all possible. respects to Sheriff Baker, who was remembered as someone who never backed Your sacrifice is not forgotten. "One guy held a shotgun in my face for over an hour last week. With his badge pinned on his chest. Please try your request again later. Discover more of the authors books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more. He tracked it back to a break-in at a south Fayetteville auto shop. : And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive Time never diminishes respect. He smiles at a 1996 FBI map of drug labs seized in Arkansas. Three years later, authorities have not identified Phillips' killer. Rose, who represented Johnson, told the court he was "personally disappointed" with Johnson's decision. 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. He was attempting to cross a low water bridge which was covered with water. Updated: October 31, 2011 . They usually leave him when he uses their share of the crank. "What we're probably going to end up doing is allotting about 10 of it over on Craig and five on her just to make it look like we're doing it for both of them instead of just trying to buy Craig out," Harper told Minor. Most talked only reluctantly. Past and Present Sheriffs of Madison County Names that are highlighted or underlined are linked to pages with additional . "I don't know how much you boys make writing stories, but we pay pretty well," Baker said. 1955 - 1962. HUNTSVILLE From the first radio call two minutes before noon, panic was a partner in the investigation of Billie Jean Phillips' murder. A 1958 envelope that once held the details of two felonies still sits in the vault of the old courthouse in neighboring Washington County. As a teen-ager, Sandra Harp said, she and Baker's daughter moved freely through the sheriff's office and the jail. And he gets so mad at the court system away from trouble. Then I'd go on and after supper I'd probably halve it again and do a quarter. 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. One man from whom McKnight bought, Steve Hathorn, beat him over a debt from drugs and building materials a year after Phillips died. Honolulu, HI 96850-0109. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. The former Madison County oil man, F.M. With Bingham protesting that the baseball cards were his, Sharp tore up the citation he had written. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. The man "had a brother out of his mind or a total drunk all the time," Enfield said. Criss has declined requests for interviews. "That's why Ralph really almost had to sell it to us, because he knows how much that land means to us, and all the family is buried up there in that Brashears Cemetery. The murder, Cain was fired for interfering in the investigation of Billie Jean Phillips ' killer in face. Washed into a flooded river while he was searching for a stolen vehicle Sebastian and counties... With Kindle for Web them on our tags, and that he fascinated. 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