Henry Boyce, Third Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney, announced today that Roger Emmit Baldridge, 54, of Ravenden pled guilty during the Lawrence County Circuit Court Jury Term to charges of Kidnapping and Possession of Firearms by Certain Persons. Baldridge was sentenced to 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction by Third Judicial District Circuit Judge Harold S. Erwin. Lawrence County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Cooper negotiated the plea.
Charges against Baldridge were brought stemming from an incident on March 9, 2016 when Baldridge told his wife he would take her to work that morning and instead drove around the back roads of Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp counties holding her against her will with a loaded pistol. Baldridge refused to allow her to leave the vehicle. He directed her to call her place of employment and tell them she would not be in to work for a number of weeks. Local law enforcement made contact with Baldridge and eventually convinced him to return to Ravenden.
Boyce commended the work of Ravenden Chief of Police Tim McComas and said, “Chief McComas was skillful in talking Baldridge into returning his wife home and surrendering without incident. In my opinion his quick thinking helped avert what could possibly have been a murder/suicide.â€
