A Tale of Two Game Wardens

Wanted in Florence: William Blake Baird

Pictured above is 38 year-old William Blake Baird. He's one of those felons with a number of lesser convictions who always gets a second chance. What harm can it do to err on the side of mercy? 

A few years ago, Baird and his girlfriend were living in the Leighton area where one of their hobbies was ingesting mind altering substances and then proceeding to shoot up the neighborhood. (Any time you read of Baird, drugs and guns are involved.) One day his neighbor across the street found both her house and vehicle riddled with bullet holes and called authorities. 

Baird and his squeeze told deputies that they'd been hunting from their front lawn, but promised they hadn't hit anything at all. Colbert County officers then turned the case over to the game warden. What did the game warden do? He let Baird go with a stern talking to. That must have really taught him a thing or two, right?

Fast forward a year or so and Baird and his companion are living in Florence and have a party...complete with guns and alcohol and God only knows what else. One of the guests was shot, but thankfully his injuries were not life-threatening. Would this have happened if the game warden had arrested Baird when he had the chance?

Obviously, we don't know what would have happened if Blake Baird had been arrested in the Leighton incident, but we do know his criminal career has continued. He's again wanted in the City of Florence on five outstanding warrants. If you know where William Blake Baird is, call 911 or your local police department. 

However, it seems not all game wardens are so very, very lenient. Jarrod Poole is pictured below:

This weekend, he lured a semi-tame deer to her death instead of doing his job and relocating it. Remember, this isn't about the guilt or innocence of those who tamed the deer, this is about what Poole did, killing the doe and leaving a pair of ten day-old fawns to die.

Part of Jarrod Poole's job is to relocate wildlife he thinks may in danger or be a danger to others. What did he do instead? He disregarded the caution of a Colbert County deputy and said, as he fired, "this one's on me."

If you feel that Warden Poole behaved in an unseemly manner and failed to do his job, you can report him here:

District I

Blount, Colbert, Cullman, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Walker, and Winston Counties.

Jud Easterwood, Supervising Wildlife Biologist
Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries
21453 Harris Station Road, Tanner AL 35671-9716

Telephone:  256-353-2634
FAX:  256-340-0402