Eddie Baker Sr.

Somebody should write a brand new folk song in hoor of Eddie Baker Sr. of Breathitt County Kentucky, even if he is an Oxycontin and Meth dealer as claimed by the people of Operation Unite-a task force made up of various local and Kentuclky state law enforcement agencies and officials began by Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers ostensibly in an effort to fight the all pervading menace of these and other drugs in Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky. As I pointed out in an earlier post, Rogers had donated the five thousand dollar contribution he had received from jack Abamof to this group, yet, despite their seeming eagerness to fightthe drug problem, they had, as of then, January of 2006, not updated their web-site since November or therabouts of 2004.

Yet, they make their presence known from time to time, usually in the course of busting lowlevel drug dealers and users. Butwhen they went after Eddie baker Senior at his home outside of Jackson Kentucky, they almost bit off morethan they could chew. They entered Bakers home, with him not there (I don’t know whether they had a warrant, I will just assume they did) and suppossedly found thousands of dollars in plastic bags, along with bags of assorted pills.

Yet, they failed to capture Baker, who shot at them as he fled the scene, getting away. Oneor two officers were wounded, but not seriously. They maintain that Baker and his son are two of the biggest drug dealers in Breathitt County.

Baker maintains he didn’t know who the hell they were when they came after him. And, according to Bakers attorney, thisis typical of Operation Unite. “They shoot first and ask questions later”, he said.

For two months,while on the run, Baker maintained his innocence, once during the course of a taped interview with a reporter from Lexington station WLEX, Channel 18. He had been hiding out in the woods, he maintained, but looked clean, with clean clothes, and seemed rested and refreshed. WLEX held up their end of the bargain. They did not turn Baker in and went to the pre-arranged location and shot the interview, which aired later. Operation Unite had to have been incensed at this action, and soon threw a cordon around Bakers home, questioning and harrassing Bakers neighbors, most of whom maintained they did not know where Baker was, but if they did they would not turn him in. Operation Unite made no friends among the fine people of Breathitt County during this period of time, at least not among Bakers friends andneighbors, many of whom held outthat he was a fine fellow, a good neighbor and friend.

“He’s like a brother to me” said one man during the course of an interview.

Baker was finally apprehended, though, after two months on the run. Maybe he is guilty of the charges as claimed by Operation Unite. If so, he needs to go to prison for as long as the law allows. I can’t help but have my doubts, however.

I know one woman who is a habitual drug user, and for years raised two dependant juvenile children whom she constantly kept out of school, until they eventually never went at all. Said to be on “crank”-meth-she one night burned down her house, while spending the night at a boyfriends house, her two children alone there with the adult male who dated the girl. It was said that she purposely had them burn the house, though the fire lazed well beyond their control and became uinhabitable. The purpose was, suppossedly, to get a quick insurance settlement, either for the purpsoe of buying more drugs, or for paying off a drug debt.

The last time I saw her she was walking up the road, pushing her daughters baby in a stroller. When I saw that sight, I could not help but wonder, what she would be willing to sell that baby for? Two thosand dollars? One? Less?

This is a woman who constantly had her water and phone shut off for non-payment, was constantly borrowing everything under the sun, despite being well cared for by the State of Kentucky Social Services for her two kids behalf.

To my knowledge she has never been harrassed by Operation Unite, who despite this goes out of their way to arrest a couple of guys in a trailor park for marijuana possession. Some things just don’t add up.