I might want to come drink one glass of wine along with you,’ was how it began
Smith region Judge Joel Baker functions as main assess for Smith state and supported as vice-chair on the State fee for Judicial make (SCJC). The accusations come from a woman which questioned to be anonymous and detective agency, Tim McLemee who focuses on digital facts.
McLemee turned-over a thousand direct social media communications between your woman and Baker’s private social media web page. McLemee, a 25-year law enforcement officials veteran turned investigator, mentioned the guy took the girl circumstances at no cost away from curiosity.
“personally wished to learn. ‘Is it the region judge? So is this truly our chosen county assess that’s achieving this?'” McLemee said. “what exactly is he ready to would? How far was he willing to go?”
The girl stated Baker delivered her a friend request on Twitter just last year. She stated she’s never fulfilled the judge and didn’t know your actually.
“[Baker] happens to be intimate with me, in which he’s generated feedback and [at very first] I never reacted for them,” the woman stated. “After that in Oct whenever me personally and my personal date separated is when it had gotten actually direct.”
“He messaged myself and said some thing along side contours like, ‘hey just how have you been. That’s exactly how our very own preliminary contact ended up being.”
A buddy advised she get in touch with McLemee to confirm whether the emails comes from Baker or an imposter. Collectively, McLemee in addition to lady come up with an aggressive decide to hold accelerating the internet connection.
The amount of time stamps on the myspace emails coincide with state regular business hours, taxpayer financed out-of-town conferences and judicial conduct hearings in Austin.
In one information sent on March 10 at 2:37 p.m., Baker describes which he’s at a state committee meeting in Austin, lookin “at problems about judges.” Lots of sexually-charged communications follow.
“have Joel Baker simply stated ‘Im in a very important court hearing. I cannot talking immediately. I’ll contact you once I get-off operate these days,'” McLemee mentioned. “I would have obtained the utmost regard regarding impulse.”
“have she got some thing in his courtroom or something like that he has been involved with governing on, in which he had been engaged in this sort of behavior with your, she might have definitely attemptedto blackmail him,” McLemee stated.
The girl admits she consented towards the sexual discussions and requested the images, actually delivering some direct photographs of her own
On February 26, Baker published to their Twitter page: “family, we have witnessed strange goings on in social media marketing land. as a result of either fake or hacked social media accounts. I am getting off social media marketing for some time and sustaining a decreased visibility.”
KLTV over and over contacted Judge Baker for a touch upon the accusations. After six times of no feedback, Baker texted KLTV late Monday afternoon doubt which he initiated the connection with the woman and declines he needed to bring a relationship together. Baker claims he was attempting to meet up with the woman to confront her to see who was simply trying to “destroy his parents.” He in addition declines sending any explicit video clips or images.
Baker posted a resignation page with the SCJC on March 4 saying: “we understand that it is vital that I reconstitute my life so I and my family could become entire once again. We have endured lots of stress, anxieties, anxiety, and despair. These issues bring affected myself and my personal a reaction to most of the additional force has nearly triggered the destruction of my loved ones.”
Of the explicit pictures and movie provided to KLTV, the background of one fits the hotel room stayed in by Baker throughout SCJC conference 
Lawyer Lillian Hardwick, a consultant and expert observe in attorneys and judicial ethics, evaluated the facts gotten concerning Baker’s activity.
Hardwick said the SCJC customers will more than likely see whether or not the make is recognized as “intimately unacceptable” for an assess, whether or not it delivers “public discredit on judiciary,” and whether Baker exercised bad view in his usage of social media marketing.
“In my opinion it might break a few of the canons inside the code in addition to the over-arching traditional within the Texas structure,” Hardwick said. “The members of the general public commonly held to that method of expectations as they are maybe not seated in view of other people’s arguments and grievances.”
Hardwick anticipates the SCJC will choose to explore these claims to see if they violate the Texas laws of Judicial Conduct. Because situation, Baker could well be left to protect himself at the same screen he has offered on since getting designated by the great judge of Colorado in 2012.
“Maybe [if] could be found. in only several circumstances, had been he really carrying out hearings,” Hardwick mentioned. “There may have been a recess. He might have-been on a lunch break, something like that,” Hardwick said.
The SCJC has never said on Baker’s resignation letter. Baker is still an associate in the SCJC until an alternative are designated. No civil or unlawful expenses have already been filed contrary to the Smith region assess, that has been chosen to three terms since 2006.