CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Salt Lick Feed Store sits along Business 281 in Alice, and it's where 3NEWS found sheriff-elect Joseph "Guy" Baker on Wednesday.
He may be the next sheriff for Jim Wells County, but right now, he's still hauling bags of feed for customers.
The 49-year-old retired Homeland Security Investigator and grandfather of five has been working at his family’s store since he retired in 2021.
He believes his election victory on Tuesday made him the first-ever Republican sheriff in Jim Wells County history.
"I am the first Republican sheriff in Jim Wells County," Baker said. "Somebody may correct me on that, that's okay, but I can find anything else and I’ve asked a lot of people.”
Baker was born in Colorado City which is in West Texas. His wife, Kimberly, is from Midland. The two have been married for 30 years.
3NEWS asked her what she thinks of her husband becoming the next sheriff for Jim Wells County.
"He has some great ideas and he’s really good with the fine details of things," she said. "And so I think he will be able to make some great plans and implement them and I look forward to seeing what he can do."
Baker told 3NEWS he’s not going to go in and make wholesale changes at the sheriff’s department. However, he does want to ensure the department is doing all it can to work with other local, state and federal law enforcement to focus more on taking drugs off the streets.
He also said he needs to get more deputies on the highway.
"Right now our patrol unit is only half staffed," Baker said. "So, right away the patrol is going to be my main priority. We have parts of Jim Wells County that’s not covered because we don’t have enough deputies to cover it."
While Baker and his wife are excited about his Jan. 1 swear in ceremony, the grandparents are also thrilled that around that same time their sixth grand baby should be born! One more thing for the Baker family to celebrate.