Parole for a Salesville man sent to prison for killing a person he described as his best friend has been approved.
Fifty-six-year-old Johnnie Carl Baker was sentenced to 14 years in prison in mid-December 2013 after entering a guilty plea to a reduced charge of manslaughter.
He received 10 years on the manslaughter charge and an additional four years for committing a felony with a firearm.
He had originally been charged with second-degree murder.
Former 14th Judicial District Prosecutor Ron Kincade told the court at the time Baker pled guilty, that evidence developed during the investigation, showed the lesser charge of manslaughter was more appropriate.
Baker has been considered for parole several times. He was apparently close to being approved last year but a favorable decision was rescinded, based on his refusal to submit to drug screening, according to Arkansas Parole Board records.
The shooting incident was initially reported to Baxter County 911 in November 2012 when a female caller stated a man had been shot accidentally at a residence along Major Street in Norfork.
Baker was developed as the prime suspect in the shooting. He told officers a number of conflicting stories about the incident.
His basic contention was the shooting was accidental.
He said he tossed a soda bottle at 65-year-old Dennis Franklin Chapman, whom Baker described as his best friend, and told him he was going to shoot the bottle out of his hand.
At one point, Baker told investigators the gun discharged on its own and he did not recall having his finger on the trigger.
Investigative reports at the time indicate Chapman was shot in the face with a 30/30-lever action rifle. The weapon must be manually manipulated in order for it to fire.
At another point, Baker said he had been cleaning the gun with his shirt and it had discharged. He indicated on several occasions, he had no intention of killing his friend and did not know exactly how the gun went off.
Baker is currently an inmate in the Pine Bluff Unit of the state prison system. In Arkansas, it generally takes about two months between parole approval and an inmate’s release.
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