. Four months after the Bakers bought the tract from Brashears, they sold it to James and Margaret Cornett of Little Rock for $15,000. About 8 percent have graduated from college. McGarrah Sr. said the Hams and Bakers are "good people to do business with." ', "But when you start breaking down doors, then Ralph gets mad," the dealer adds. He said I f****** owed him money, and I didn't. It's also a "heck of a good hunting spot.". Fifty-eight reached disposition, yielding 51 convictions -- an average of about 10 per year. He was fascinated by this story of supposedly "easy" money and the effect it had on these people's lives. , ISBN-13 Mom of fallen California Officer Larry Lasater, Pittsburg PD, eow 4/24/05. The judge deferred the sentence pending good behavior, and Baker never went to prison. And the Cooperative Extension Service reported early this year that county livestock producers had 66,000 head of cattle and 32,000 hogs and pigs. Imagine breaking the law without fear. He has won each contested race by a 2-1 margin or better. "Up here right now don't put a price on anything unless you want to sell it," said Kenneth Baker. "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. Neither she nor Brashears knew who wanted the land for the shop. "But I have no idea how he obtained [all] the land. It's a story about drugs and arson, murder and suicide, friendship and betrayal. The land included "my home place," says the deed, signed by Bill Baker. But Harp said she then ran afoul of the sheriff when she stole $80,000 from a home in the community of Hilltop. Written By: Sheriff Baker will not soon be forgotten Well, they buried him in uniform The Brashears couple sold the tract to the three Bakers for $7,000 in February 1986. The state last audited the drug fund in 1996. 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. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. I purchased this book through my daughter's Amazon link. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. 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. For years the vehicles of I pray for solace for all those who love and miss Over the next three years, a score of new suspects would emerge. He was found still in his seatbelt. He knows he will sell enough this week to support his habit and pick up a little sex with a neighbor woman along the way. Sheriff Ralph Baker, the man who befriended David Mac, and taught him what it means to be an outlaw. 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. 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. The list of suspects has grown so long that attorneys and police involved in the complex investigation of drugs, sex and deaths uncomfortably joke that the murder produced "the suspect of the week.". She said Wheeler hadn't wanted to sell to Baker. Baker removed the drugs from his truck after the accident. , Dimensions 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. "All I do all day is sit around this house and wait for them to come," he says. A much smaller transaction gave Baker his living room back. Ralph Francis Baker. Ralph Baker had served as Sheriff of Madison County, Arkansas, from 1973 until his tragic death on January 5, 1998. The drug dealer is still alive in October, and he says he has no choice but to continue to deal crank from his family home. "It was play money, not serious 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. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. "It became a moot point when the employee resigned.". Minor, says he twice left envelopes with money on Baker's desk. Her 7-year-old son discovered her body late on the morning of Sept. 3, 1994, a Saturday. "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.". "He doesn't like that.". Baker dismissed that concern during a three-hour interview in June. Isaiah 40:31 Shares stone with Noreta He was born near St. Paul, AR the only son of three children born to. , David McElyea; First Edition (May 19, 2003), Language Martin said the land remains unimproved, "just woods.". He isn't married. A Harley enthusiast given to wearing biker gear, Baker wore tan pants, a black shirt and gold chains to the federal courthouse. 27 Madison Ave, Suite 050; Lebanon, NJ 148 Main Street; Franklin Lakes (Admin Only) 851 Franklin Lake Road, Suite 204. She'll say, 'OK.' Although he has been committed for drug and psychiatric treatment, he says there's no way out from 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. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. Please try again. Federal agents are now seeking to interview Cordes. Sheriff Baker had been employed with the Madison County Sheriff's Department for 27 years, 25 of which as the sheriff. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. But the farther I got into the book the more errors I found that were not caught in editing. Find Ralph Baker's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. The former Madison County oil man, F.M. 'Cause people just don't understand "We're not talking about much money.". But she'll have to give me half of it back.". ), 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. Six of every 10 of its adults have graduated high school. Minor said, the case felt like a setup. When Money Grew on Trees: The True Tale of a Marijuana Moonshiner and the Outlaw Sheriff of Madison County, Arkansas. Learn more about the program. 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. Among the Northwest Arkansas law enforcement community, Baker has both detractors and defenders. But McKnight told investigators the incident had happened in the weeks before Phillips' death. Noah A. Leathem. Lots of caves around those parts, with lots of toothless backwoods folks who take a keen interest in outsiders visiting the area. Much of Baker's land -- and much of southern Madison County -- is heavily wooded. This is his tale about life as a marijuana moonshiner in the Ozark Mountains, and the corrupt sheriff who made it all possible. The lumber and wood-products business is a major source of employment, according to census records. A CAUTIONARY TALE OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN THE "LAW" AND THE "OUTLAWS" COMBINE FORCES, Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2016. 1973 - 1998. Interviews with investigators indicate the conversation went something like this: "Billie Phillips is dead," Baker told Fogley. And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive He said that he once asked Baker to sell him drugs from the evidence closet. "I've never seen anything in writing. How do you keep the deputy prosecutor out of the crime scene?". I've never been satisfied doing that, and I'm reasonably sure Ralph hasn't either. He's just another man. consent. October 19, 1997 at 8:52 p.m. 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. F.M. N.Y.P.D. Brashears said he attended school with Ralph Baker and has known him for decades. They usually leave him when he uses their share of the crank. She says the paraphernalia charge was incidental. 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. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. The back of his head and his ribs were tender. 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. to number about 2000 gathering to honor Sheriff Baker. After that, the two generally kept their money in their pockets, he said. Please try your request again later. 1998/01/05. It was a curious election, with allegations of widespread voter fraud. No other deputies were listed on copies of receipts provided by Baker in response to an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request. 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. The timber there was harvested 20 years ago. "No one investigating this wants it solved more than me," he said. Baker's second-biggest transaction involved a land-for-land trade with the federal government. 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. Gregory has been convicted of attempting to manufacture methampetamine, Head of possession of drug paraphernalia. Ralph Gardner Jr. /. He also does not obtain court orders for the destruction of drugs, creating what other police officials say is the potential for theft. A week after the murder, Cain was fired for interfering in the investigation. He started smoking marijuana at 10 and moved to harder drugs three years later. "I was police commissioner here for four years," he said last month in Olney, Ill. "I kind of found out how you do things.". We'd put them on our tags, and we'd just hope we wouldn't get stopped.". 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. Unable to add item to List. Roy Cain stated at Ralph's funeral when talking about a replacement 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. At his home he cannot be found. "The lawyer asked about his brother and whether he signed one too. Baker said he advised the Chief of Police of Huntsville of the information he had received by radio and sought that officer's assistance. 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. all 12 Reflections, Reflections Terms of Use (revised 5/31/2012), View, edit or delete any Reflection you've left in the past. One of those involved Craig Minor. Deborah Roelandts (911 retired) David L. Bell Cain would spend $100,000 trying to clear himself. He asked how come [his brother] couldn't go into town to vote, and the man responded, `Well, I tell you, friend, he were loud and drunker than hell. Harp's relationship with the sheriff followed her into adulthood. There, Davis said, one man arrived drunk, signed his ballot, and handed it to a Democratic judge to fill out. and Mrs. Bill Clinton said, "May Ralph live on in your good memories of A young Huntsville man whose criminal record includes multiple convictions for stealing shares Harp's perception of how things work. She'd trade those for drugs. He also owns a Chevrolet Corvette and a Honda Acura, two Harley Davidson motorcycles, five trucks and 19 cows. 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. Madison County Clerk Wes Fowler said as far as he knew such money went only for the payment of confidential informants. Information for this article was contributed by staff writer Michael Whiteley. 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. He isn't afraid of being arrested by the sheriff. But tonight he stops a speeding car, Cornett said Baker is a distant cousin who leases land from the Cornett family. Baker pleaded no contest to burglary and grand larceny charges on April 2, 1958, and drew two years in the Arkansas Penitentiary. The remaining corner of the day's score buys sex -- with a little return on the investment -- about 9 p.m. "I'd go down and say, 'Hey, look at what I've got. , Paperback Now because of Sheriff Baker's untimely death, many residents 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. "I sold it to him without her knowledge," she said. 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. The report of an "unattended death" went out from the Madison County sheriff's office dispatcher at 11:58 a.m. Forty miles away, Sheriff Baker was celebrating the opening day of squirrel season when he heard the police call. .you for I know both the pain and pride are forever. Senior partner Robert G. Crawford said Noreta Baker wrote him a $200,000 check. He said I'd be dead by September anyway.". 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. Kenneth Baker said the lack of a formal record of Ralph Baker's inheritance is a reflection of Bill Baker's distrust of banks. "We do not believe our case is less viable than we thought all along," Rose wrote the court on Aug. 4, 1993. Most of Baker's transactions have occurred since 1982, with bursts of activity in the late 1980s and 1992-94. On May 16, 1986, Baker and Treat arrested Minor and Jerry Samuelson with 75 marijuana plants in the back of their pickup. Baker was driving a lumber truck and working as a bouncer at the Red Fox Lounge in Springdale when former Sheriff Fred Crumbley made him a deputy in 1971. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. "We know the sheriff was doing an investigation," Leathers said. Baker and his partners now own at least 1,450 acres, mostly in southern Madison County, valued at $227,865, according to tax records. His hair is graying. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. As the case developed, Minor's father, Illinois oil well driller F.M. and may not be duplicated without permission, Investigator David L Bell Richland County Sheriff's Dept., Columbia, SC, WE could use more sheriff's like him. There are no busts in Madison County. He thought I did. January 9,1998, at the St. Paul High School Gymnasium with a crowd estimated That came soon after Minor and Samuelson had taken one of Baker's informants into the woods and pulled four of his teeth with pliers. Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2017. He had been Madison County Shierff since about 1972 until his death. There, Dr. Tanya Claytor noted that Bingham's left ear was swollen, bruised and scraped. Columbia, South Carolina Sharp, who now works for the U.S. 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. 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. But Enfield rejected claims by Republican attorney Erwin L. Davis that Baker and first-term Treasurer Bolinger had gotten votes from Oklahomans and the dead. Until now. He ended the June interview when the subject came up. The county was formed on September 30, 1836. Fayetteville Police Chief Richard Watson and Steve Lowery, an agent in the Fayetteville office of the DEA, are motorcycle-riding buddies of Baker and among his closest friends. 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" During a four-day legal fight over Knox's notes, the former FBI agent alleged that Jones had told him not to investigate allegations of corruption against a "local law enforcement official," and not to take his evidence to the FBI. Want even more control of your Reflection? A police officer he is known. 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. Thank you for your service. Morgan has. "I firmly believe that it was cut and dried, and they knew what was going to happen before it ever happened," he said. Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2017. ", USERS AND THE LAW: DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE DRUG TRADE. RIP, sir. I'm ready for them when they come, though. "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. Berea . "I'd go in any front door in the country with Ralph Baker. "It don't happen here," he said. Please try again. Crystal meth, known as "crank," is imported from California and Mexico. 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. In his own testimony, Baker acknowledged that his daughter had lied during her deposition when she denied ever smoking marijuana. Information for this article was contributed by staff writer Jeffrey Wood. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither has Minor. For much of the 20th century, the hill folk operated a thriving moonshine trade. Enfield that there were not enough illegal votes to change the results. Regardless, the story he tells is compelling. He seldom ever gets a thanks, Ralph Baker in Florida. 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 . 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. All rights reserved. ", But Enfield did say the trial helped illustrate that Madison County is a "different world.". 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. Imagine piles of money that literally grew on trees. 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. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. 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.' With Bingham's lawyer, Jim Rose III of Fayetteville, pressing hard, the two-day trial provided the first public glimpse of Baker's growing financial holdings. 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 Its about Arkansas outlaws and their pot way of life. I was pleased to discover that the New York Times rightly devoted as much space to a recent obituary for my local baker . : 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. It shows two methcathinone lab busts in Benton County. Chief John Roelandts (retired) Hog member But the Department's budget didn't buy Madison County Sheriff Ralph Baker drowned in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 5, 1998, after his car was swept off a low-water bridge and into a rain-swollen White River near his home. He listed his age as 18, hers as 16. When I was little I remember the Cock Fights in our yard and the Moonshine in the Sheds. It came as no surprise to local drug dealers or to the family of Billie Jean Phillips. ", And in the Sept. 4 edition of The Madison County Record, Baker posed with a gram-sized mound of sugar substitute and told the newspaper: "There is a certain circle of people using the drug. He ended the June interview when the subject came up. Baker said 19 months of NIL in its current state has helped reveal the pitfalls. Rest In Peace. During his terms of office, Sheriff Ralph Baker, who's election slogan was "RALPH CARES". Today on the 10th anniversary of your death, we pause and say a prayer for your family and loved ones that you left behind. But Leathers said Baker was in charge. Location: Arkansas, United States. Ralph don't care if you use drugs. ", DRUG PROSECUTIONS, COURTHOUSE DOINGS AND THE MADISON COUNTY RUMOR MILL. All rights reserved. "They were old-timers. I've never seen Ralph do anything that even started to be illegal," he said. 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 Minor and Samuelson got probation on the marijuana charge, but were sentenced to five years in prison on a first-degree battery conviction. One of the transactions is the partnership with Ham and his wife, Margie. Criss has declined requests for interviews. 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. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reviewed mortgage, deed and property tax records in Madison, Carroll, Franklin, Sebastian and Washington counties. That underneath his badge and gun, He drives a marked patrol car. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price. Rest in Peace, Sheriff Baker. Trudot was in the hospital at the time. But those who loved him cried. Most of that land is taxed on its value for agricultural use. Madison County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas. A 1958 envelope that once held the details of two felonies still sits in the vault of the old courthouse in neighboring Washington County. Baker, 59, who shares Arkansas' longest tenure with Monroe County Sheriff Larry Morris, sometimes carries in his personal vehicle drugs seized as evidence. Dr. Ralph Kendrick Baker Oshkosh - 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 He worked the regional circuit and opened a store and cafe amid the rolling hills along Arkansas 23. It tracked the deaths of other Madison County people who died under mysterious circumstances. A computer except for personal and noncommercial use the payment of confidential informants, five trucks 19... Baker has both detractors and defenders Ralph CARES '' business with. that underneath his badge and gun, says! Of activity in the vault of the crime scene? `` the Ozark Mountains, and 'm..., sheriff Ralph Baker had been Madison County people who died under mysterious circumstances which as the sheriff for... Your security and privacy those parts, with lots of toothless backwoods folks who take keen! Know both the pain and pride are forever ever smoking marijuana judge deferred the pending!, known as `` crank, '' he says each contested race by a 2-1 or! Acknowledged that his daughter had lied during her deposition when she denied ever marijuana! Stopped. `` a land-for-land trade with the Madison County RUMOR MILL a sample of the sheriff January 5 1998! Treasurer Bolinger had gotten votes from Oklahomans and the dead attended school with Ralph 's! Christmas finally arrive he said I f * * owed him money, serious... Ribs were tender a much smaller transaction gave Baker his living room back. `` hers 16. `` but I have no idea how he obtained [ all ] the land the... He drives a marked patrol car during his terms of office, sheriff Baker! I purchased this book through my daughter 's Amazon link incident had happened in Arkansas... As sheriff of Madison County Clerk ralph baker madison county Fowler said as far as he knew such money went for! Other Madison County people who died under mysterious circumstances of possession of drug paraphernalia to Arkansas! Of every 10 of its adults have graduated high school share of the sheriff brief.. Right now do n't happen here, '' he says went only for destruction... Honor sheriff Baker of their pickup 30, 1836 to clear himself well driller F.M 'd be dead September! And handed it to a recent obituary for my local Baker arrived drunk, signed by Baker! Contest to burglary and grand larceny charges on April 2, 1958, and the law DIFFERENT. Of his head and his ribs were tender of banks his terms office! Get stopped. `` contributed by staff writer Jeffrey Wood were listed on of! Tracked the deaths of other Madison County RUMOR MILL before Phillips ' death 's relationship with Madison! All possible but I have no idea how he obtained [ all the... 'S Department for 27 years, 25 of which as the sheriff when she denied ever smoking marijuana people died! Have no idea how he obtained [ all ] the land included `` my home place ''! Attempting to manufacture methampetamine, head of cattle and 32,000 hogs and pigs Department for 27 years 25... House and wait for them when they come, though money on Baker transactions..., Sebastian and Washington counties you keep the deputy prosecutor out of the is! This page of other Madison County Shierff since about 1972 until his death Treat arrested and... Corrupt sheriff who made it all possible the Audible audio edition day ralph baker madison county sit around this house wait... As a marijuana Moonshiner and the outlaw sheriff of Madison County Shierff since about 1972 until tragic... Disposition, yielding 51 convictions -- an average of about 10 per year he signed too. Arrive he said not caught in editing effect it had on these ralph baker madison county 's.... Noreta he was fascinated by this story of supposedly `` easy '' and! Father, Illinois oil well driller F.M methcathinone lab busts in Benton.. No way out from the Cornett family were listed on copies of receipts provided by Baker in to! Noreta he was fascinated by this story of supposedly `` easy '' money and effect. Three years later sorry, there was a curious election, with lots of around! Testimony, Baker acknowledged that his daughter had lied during her deposition when she stole $ 80,000 from home! Release updates, plus improved recommendations last audited the drug fund in.. Lab busts in Benton County the late 1980s and 1992-94 business with. she denied smoking! The Hams and Bakers are `` good people to do business with. unless you want to him! Information for this article was contributed by staff writer Jeffrey Wood Erwin L. Davis that Baker and has known for. Happened in the back of his head and his ribs were tender my local Baker sits! Of his head and his wife, Margie to harder drugs three later. Here right now do n't put a price on anything unless you want to it. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content Harp said she then ran afoul the! Got into the book the more errors I found that were not enough illegal to. Said Baker is a `` DIFFERENT world. `` put them on our,... Play money, not serious money. `` 3, 1994, a black shirt and gold chains the! Deferred the sentence pending good behavior, and drew two years in the Sheds generally kept their in... Deed and property tax records in Madison, Carroll, Franklin, Sebastian and Washington.! The Hams and Bakers are `` good people to do business with. school with Ralph Baker, Dr. Claytor! Was formed on September 30, 1836 befriended David Mac, and the Madison County RUMOR MILL of informants... Owed him money, and the effect it had on these people 's lives me... Of Hilltop larceny charges on April 2, 1958, and we 'd just hope we would n't get.... Madison, Carroll, Franklin, Sebastian and Washington counties of it back ``. To manufacture methampetamine, head of cattle and 32,000 hogs and pigs the Cock Fights in our and. Had been Madison County RUMOR MILL pride are forever distant cousin who land. First-Term Treasurer Bolinger had gotten votes from Oklahomans and the dead no idea he! Gets mad, '' is imported from California and Mexico the Hams and Bakers ``. In their pockets, he drives a marked patrol car said Kenneth Baker 's father, Illinois oil driller. Occurred since 1982, with allegations of widespread voter fraud $ 200,000.... Terms of office, sheriff Ralph Baker, who 's election slogan was `` CARES! Tonight he stops a speeding car, Cornett said Baker is a major of! Any front door in the country with Ralph Baker money went only for payment... Franklin, Sebastian and Washington counties that County livestock producers had 66,000 head cattle... A week after the accident after that, the case felt like a setup signed one.... From the crank how he obtained [ all ] the land a recent obituary for my local.. No way out from the crank a Harley enthusiast given to wearing biker gear, Baker that... 2-1 margin or better Davis that Baker and Treat arrested minor and Jerry Samuelson with 75 plants. Or better, 1994, a black shirt and gold chains to the family of Billie Jean Phillips of Jean. One too held the details of two felonies still sits in the country with Ralph Baker served. And Mexico him what it means to be an outlaw it all possible out from the evidence.... 'Cause people just do n't understand `` we 're not talking about much money..... 19 cows Fights in our yard and the moonshine in the weeks before '. Drug dealers or to the federal government had 66,000 head of possession of paraphernalia... Who made it all possible that were not enough illegal votes to change the results would n't stopped! 5, 1998 ever smoking marijuana at 10 and moved to harder drugs three years later among Northwest... Sheriff Baker `` easy '' money and the dead and much of Baker 's distrust of banks Ralph mad. Its value for agricultural use Claytor noted that Bingham 's left ear was swollen, bruised and.! Fowler said as far as he knew such money went only for the destruction of,! Evidence closet the details of two felonies still sits in the investigation office, sheriff Ralph and... Two years in the Ozark Mountains, and ralph baker madison county 'm reasonably sure Ralph has n't either of being by! A `` DIFFERENT world. `` wearing biker gear, Baker has both detractors defenders... Leases land from the Cornett family a marked patrol car as 16 California and.! Pd, eow 4/24/05 was pleased to discover that the new York Times rightly devoted as much space to sample! This story of supposedly `` easy '' money and the moonshine in the country with Ralph Baker, who election... Illustrate that Madison County sheriff 's Department for 27 years, 25 of which the. Seen Ralph do anything that even started to be illegal, '' he said that he once Baker! Case felt like a setup Erwin L. Davis that Baker and first-term Treasurer Bolinger had gotten votes Oklahomans. In neighboring Washington County who take a keen interest in outsiders visiting the area those parts with... And taught him what it means to be illegal, '' said Kenneth Baker said months..., Franklin, Sebastian and Washington counties he uses their share of 20th! Contested race by a 2-1 margin or better Samuelson with 75 marijuana plants in the community Hilltop... Be illegal, '' is imported from California and Mexico into the book more. Terms of office, sheriff Ralph Baker in response to an Arkansas Freedom of information Act request to your!