Former pastor arrested on 2nd degree sex assault

Paul Anthony Baker, former pastor of a church in Bella Vista, was arrested Monday for second-degree sexual assault and sexual solicitation of a child, both felonies, according to Benton County Jail records.

Paul Anthony Baker, 61, 750 McClure Road, Little Flock, was pastor of the Church of The Nazarene in Bella Vista at the time of his resignation. The child he is accused of assaulting does not live in northwest Arkansas.

He was pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in the 1990s and was the first president of the Pea Ridge Ministerial Alliance. He was instrumental in filing the paper work founding the alliance, according to a 1992 article in The Times of Northeast Benton County.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Little Flock police received a report from the Arkansas Department of Human Services about an incident that reportedly happened April 6, 2016, at Baker’s residence.

In October, police received information from Randy Berkner, superintendent with the North Arkansas District Church of The Nazarene, that Baker confessed to him that he “inappropriately touched a 7-year-old” girl and needed to resign immediately, according to the affidavit. The official said Baker confessed Jan. 5, 2016.

Baker, released from jail on $15,000 bond, is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 6. He is ordered to have no contact with the child and no unsupervised contact with any minors, according to the order to appear and agreed order stipulating bond.