COLUMBIA (TN)
The Roys Report [Chicago IL]
September 12, 2024
By Sheila Stogsdill
A Tennessee pastor, who worked to restore pastors caught in sexual sin, took his life hours after being released from jail on an accusation he molested a child.
Tennessee authorities said David Mark Baker, Sr., took his life on Sept. 11. The day before, the 57-year-old married pastor was arrested on an accusation he molested a child under the age of 12, Fox 17 Nashville reported.
An affidavit filed in Baker’s case accused the minister of aggravated sexual battery by touching a child’s breasts underneath her clothing between 2013—2015.
Missy Wray, an employee of Maury County Sheriff’s Department, said the sexual abuse allegation remains under investigation, and she could not comment on specifics.
Baker served as lead pastor of Family Baptist Church in Columbia. His name has been removed from the church’s website. Social media sites, including the church’s Facebook and YouTube, and Baker’s personal Facebook page are inactive.
Baker is also associated with Fallen in Grace, a restoration ministry for pastors involved in sexual misconduct. The website sells Baker’s book on overcoming sin.
Court records show Baker was taken into custody around 4:40 p.m. on Sept. 10 and released from the Maury County jail around 3:15 a.m. on Sept. 11. on $200,000 bail.
The sheriff’s office did not have Baker’s bail conditions available when contacted by The Roys Report (TRR). However, Wray said that in sexual abuse cases, the suspect is typically prevented from possessing a weapon or going near the victim.
Maury Regional Medical Center released a statement to Fox 17 Nashville, stating that a Code Silver alert was activated at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Sept. 11, almost 12 hours after Baker was released from jail. A Code Silver alert indicates a firearm has been discharged on campus, or a person is confirmed or suspected of possessing a weapon on the premises.
Baker entered a public restroom at the medical center, where “he administered a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest, discharging the weapon twice,” the statement reads.
According to the statement, the staff-initiated life-saving medical treatment, but Baker succumbed to his injuries.
TRR called the number for Family Baptist Church for comment, but no one answered, and the church does not have voicemail or a message service to leave a message.
In 2022, Baker came in third in a three-way race for Maury County Mayor, the Columbia Daily Herald reported.