By Derek Spellman
dspellman@joplinglobe.com
NEOSHO, Mo. — A Carl Junction man who is the pastor of a Galena, Kan., church and the son of a semiretired Jasper County circuit judge was charged Tuesday with felony forgery for allegedly forging a woman’s name to a check for $100,000.
Randy V. Baldridge, 53, is to be arraigned this morning on the Class C felony charge, according to Newton County Circuit Court records. Baldridge is the pastor of Sixth Street Baptist Church in Galena and the son of semiretired Judge George Baldridge, according to Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland. George Baldridge continues to serve by appointment as a senior judge under the state’s judicial system.
Authorities allege that Randy Baldridge in October forged a check for $100,000 in the name of Nancy Sarduk, of Joplin, without her permission or knowledge, and then tried to use it to secure a three-year investment note from AG Financial Solutions in Springfield. In addition to forging Sarduk’s name on the check, Randy Baldridge allegedly put Sarduk’s name, address and Social Security number on the investment application form, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
The affidavit states that Newton County authorities have claimed jurisdiction because Randy Baldridge was first seen with the allegedly fraudulent form and check while he was in Newton County.
The defendant was not in custody as of Tuesday, but Copeland said his bond had been set at $3,500. No bond had been posted, he said.
The defendant reportedly confessed to forging the documents to both Mark Smith, Sarduk’s attorney, and to an employee of Messenger College in Joplin, according to the affidavit.
A phone message left for Randy Baldridge at Sixth Street Baptist Church in Galena was not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon. Efforts to reach him at home for comment were unsuccessful. Randy Baldridge is listed as having a Joplin address on court documents but actually lives in Carl Junction, according to Copeland.
Sarduk told the Globe on Tuesday that Randy Baldridge used to teach a Bible class that she attended in Joplin, and that he presided at her late husband’s funeral last year. She said she did not attend Baldridge’s church in Galena.
Sarduk, who declined to give her age but described herself as a senior citizen, said she first became aware of the investment and the check when she was contacted by AG Financial Solutions. She said she told the firm that she had not written the check or applied for the note, and requested copies of both documents.
She turned those documents over to authorities. An investigation determined that the handwriting on both the check and the application form was made by the same hand that signed Randy Baldridge’s name on his driver’s license and on his own bank account’s signature card, according to the probable-cause affidavit.
Sarduk said Randy Baldridge had gotten her middle initial and her Social Security number wrong when filling out the paperwork.
Sarduk called the case “a shock” because of Baldridge’s status as a preacher.
“He really fouled up,” she said. “He needs help, Randy does.”
She said she “definitely” supports pressing charges against him even though he reportedly admitted “I sinned, I sinned” while confessing to her attorney.
“I feel like he did it to my husband, too,” she said.
Staff writer Roger McKinney contributed to this report.
Court appearance
Newton County authorities originally planned to execute a warrant issued for Randy Baldridge’s arrest on Tuesday, said Sheriff Ken Copeland. That warrant was recalled by Judge Greg Stremel after Stremel ordered the defendant to appear for arraignment at 8:30 a.m. today in the Associate Division of Newton County Circuit Court, Copeland said.
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