A Tennessee judge has dismissed a charge of aggravated sexual battery of a child younger than 12 against pastor, grandfather and father of 11 David Baker Sr. after he fatally shot himself at a local hospital.
Mt. Pleasant General Sessions Judge J. Lee Bailey III dismissed the case against Baker, who also served as vice president of Independent Baptist Online College, on Sept. 13 due to his death on Sept. 11, The Tennessean reported.
The Columbia Police Department said Baker, 57, walked into a bathroom at Maury Regional Hospital shortly after bonding out of jail and shot himself in the chest at approximately 12:45 p.m., causing officials to immediately place the facility on lockdown.
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“We are deeply saddened by today’s events. Our prayers are extended to the family and friends of this individual as well as the members of our team who responded,” Dr. Martin Chaney, the hopsital’s CEO, said in a statement.
“The welfare and safety of our patients and health care team members are paramount at Maury Regional Health. I am proud of the quick response of our security team, Emergency Department staff and Columbia Police Department.”
Baker was booked into the Maury County Jail and charged with one count of aggravated sexual battery on Sept. 10. He was released last Wednesday on a $200,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 9., according to Main Street Maury.
In addition to his work at Independent Baptist Online College, Baker founded at least two churches, including Family Baptist Church, where he was serving at the time he took his life. Calls to the church on Wednesday remain unanswered.
An online obituary describes him as “a beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, pastor, best-selling author, speaker, chaplain, marketing coach, entrepreneur, and host of several podcasts.”
A funeral service was held on Tuesday, where he was “laid to rest in Goshen Cemetery with military honors provided by the United States Army.”
A cached webpage of the pastor’s bio, which has since been removed from the church’s website, lists him as an Army veteran who attended Hyles-Anderson college. It notes that he pastored for more than 18 years at the time of his death. He proudly names his wife and 11 children, who were also listed along with his 11 grandchildren in his obituary.
Despite the celebration of Baker’s like by his family and the dismissal of the charges against him, former congregant Aimee Spires of Lighthouse Baptist Church, which was also founded by Baker, told FOX 17 that he was “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“There was nothing Godly about him. He was, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” she alleged. “I was angry because all the victims that there is, there’s no telling how many victims, how many girl victims that are out there that he may have done this to.”
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