Kentucky constable who pleaded guilty to attempted murder of FBI agent dies in jail
A Kentucky constable who pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of an FBI agent died in a county jail while awaiting sentencing, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Gary E. Baldock, a Pulaski County constable who pleaded guilty in July to the attempted murder of a federal agent, was pronounced dead Monday after being found in his cell that morning, U.S. Marshal Norman Arflack said.
He was found unresponsive. It appeared as though he died of natural causes, the Grayson County coroner told WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner. Baldock had recently been ill and “been seen at a hospital for treatment,” according to the Commonwealth Journal.
A jury had also convicted Baldock in June on charges of conspiring to violate people’s rights and possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it, according to federal court records.
He was scheduled to be sentenced on the guilty plea and the conspiracy and drug convictions on Oct. 18. He faced decades in prison.
In addition to Baldock, another Pulaski County constable, Mike Wallace, was found guilty of conspiracy and drug charges. The two kept meth to plant on people so they could make false arrests, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Constables are elected in Kentucky and have full arrest powers.
Baldock separately pleaded guilty to attempted murder after shooting an FBI agent who was trying to arrest him.
Baldock claimed earlier that the FBI agents did not properly identify themselves before breaking down the front and back doors of his house, according to a court document.
Wallace had requested a new trial. Baldock had asked a federal judge to overturn the jury verdict and acquit him or order a new trial.
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