news-record.com

NEWS

Businessman guilty of trying to drug woman

Thursday, October 1, 2009
(Updated 5:23 am)

WENTWORTH — Angie Capps went to work for J. Arnold Walker Insurance and Financial Services because the job offered better hours and pay. But police, prosecutors — and a Rockingham County jury — all said Walker had other things in mind when he hired Capps.

A jury Wednesday convicted Joe Arnold Walker of Reidsville of two counts of contaminating food or drink to render one mentally incapacitated or physically helpless for the purpose of committing second-degree rape or second-degree sexual offense. Judge L. Todd Burke gave the 68-year-old Walker a three-month jail term. He will be on probation after his release and must register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors charged that Walker twice put Xanax pills in Capps’ drinks when she went to work for him in October 2007. On the second occasion, Capps left the office with the drink, called her husband and reported the incident to Reidsville police.

The state crime lab later analyzed the substance and determined it was Xanax, according to court testimony.

Walker testified he took Xanax but denied putting a 2 mg tablet in Capps’ drink. Police said Walker confessed at one point to drugging the drink. But Walker denied doing so on the witness stand.

Prosecutor Julia Hejazi said in her closing argument the police investigation revealed Walker had a history of making sexual advances and comments to former female employees. A couple of the employees testified for the prosecution.

Defense attorney Doug Hux told the jury in his closing statement that the case was more speculation than fact.

He suggested that Capps conspired with Walker’s former employees to accuse him so as to bolster a possible civil suit. “This case is about money, pure and simple,” he said.

Capps cried silently as the verdict was read. Burke said her alertness saved her from falling victim to something worse.

Walker turned down a plea deal from the state that could have gotten him probation. Burke admonished him for that, saying it would have saved everyone involved pain and anguish.

“I don’t know why you didn’t see the light in this matter, Mr. Walker,” Burke said.

 

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com

 

Comments

This article has been closed to new comments. Comments are generally closed after 14 days. However, comments may be closed earlier at the discretion of the News & Record.

Inappropriate content? Please report abuse.

CopOnTheBeat

October 1, 2009 - 3:45 am EDT

Justice was truly served in this case. His actions finally caught up with him. It just goes to show that being in your sixties but trying to be 25 again, wearing a toupee, running along Freeway Drive in skimpy shorts, looking at women like he could eat them alive (to the disgust of most of them), bragging about what you think you have (being a 10 cent millionaire) and wearing clothes way out of his age range -- is a sign that you can't handle life or who you are. He's been in mid-life crisis for two decades and people have been snickering at Arnold Walker for years because he thinks he's God's gift to women. And what did it get him? 90 days in the slammer, probation, and a lifetime appointment to the sex offender registry for being a pervert. How sad that he took it upon himself to drug a woman to have sex with her. Even the judge saw through that one. And Hux (his lawyer...I'll reserve comment) said it was all about money. What a joke and everybody knows that one. I said it before and I'll say it again, justice was truly served in this case. The victim should be applauded because she stood up to this creep.

xanaxrox

October 1, 2009 - 5:09 pm EDT

There is no justice in Rockingham County.

Judge Todd Burke surfed the Internet and interrupted the process to proclaim: "I know that this is an important case and all, but can you believe that Al Sharpton and Lisa Ray(?) are dating?" Yes. Todd be black, but dat still no excuse.

To interrupt a trial to ask that idiotic question shows the justice that you get from a traveling inferior court judge.

Why was no mention made in the article of Todd having his nose buried in the Internet the whole time?
Why was no mention made of him asking the lawyers to repeat their objection and reasons because he was not listening while on the Internet?
Why was there no reference to the fact that the "victim" went to Asheboro to get a tatoo a day before her employment with Mr. Walker? One of the former secretaries planning a civil suit lives in Asheboro.

Is Asheboro that hot of a tattoo mecca that people travel there from all over or were the amigas (fem.) getting thier ducks in a row?

Why was there no mention made that the victim has been prescribed xanax?

Keep your chin up, Mr. Walker. A fair trial was denied to you in Rockingham County.

justicedone

October 1, 2009 - 6:16 pm EDT

there was mention of her being prescribed the same medicine but in a much smaller dose,the pill found in her drink was the same strength as the defendants,i feel the defendants were not very prepared for trial,and its funny his last secratary was dating his lawyer,how funny was that and he had closed down his buisness shortly there after all this took place,why was there no body who worked for him before there for the defendant,and funny,all the women he hired were all young and atractive,i feel justice was done due to the way each side was prepared,i feel if you do something that stupid that many times you will get caught and you will pay the price,remember if you can't do the time,don't do the crime!!!

hoary

October 1, 2009 - 8:39 pm EDT

"all the women he hired were all young and atractive"

Thank you Stevie Wonder. They were skanks and Hoary Angie admitted to a tramp stamp (a lower back tattoo) cementing her as "classy." Ms. Martin looked like she had just stepped out of a 1991 tri-colored Ford Escort with an unmatched hood and right-rear quarter-panel. One area of her lower lip was permanently darker from the nicotine-cancer stick which habitually protrudes.

Angie had plenty of time to retrieve the drugs from the office and plant them.

But none of this matters. Arnold deserved a fair trial with an attentive judge. He did not get it.

tactical

October 1, 2009 - 9:16 pm EDT

By the "tone" of these comments it is easy to infer that Mr. Walker actually does have ONE supporter. The rest of the county realizes that he, for many years has suffered from some delusional or mental condition. Mr. Walker most certainly was guilty of this crime...and possibly many others that he will never have to answer for. "Cop on the beat" hit the nail on the head in his description. Mr.Walker has a reputation for being nothing less than a true pervert. They could have lined up women from one end of the county to the next that would have verified that he had made them feel uncomfortable at some point in time. It is true satisfaction to see someone with his lack of judgement and repugnant character get their just come uppance. I do not know ANY of the victims in this case.....BUT I DO KNOW that Mr. Walker has a long history of strange behavior and poor judgement! Justice DID prevail.....ignorance in it's most primary level to say otherwise!

grammarcop

October 1, 2009 - 9:38 pm EDT

it's = it is

its = possessive

Now back to our regular programming. Last poster you were mentioning ignorance....

ArnoldWalker_is_a_PERVERT

October 1, 2009 - 11:13 pm EDT

Wow, the sex offender does have a supporter. So which family member is it? The daughter that did not show up, the wife of a pervert that acted just like her trailer park roots, or the son-n-law with questionable sexuality? How pathetic is this whole family of a man that cannot even get sexual assault right? I am sure he will be schooled on sexual assault for the next 88 days.
Anyway, to attack sex offender victims is ludicrous. If you support people who do not pay their bills, file bankruptcy, If you support a liar, and you are all for a sex offender that was too stupid to get that right. I am sure the victim them selves really don’t care what you say. Also judging by the amount of support Arnold had at his trial, it looks like no one else cares either.

CopOnTheBeat

October 2, 2009 - 12:05 am EDT

It amazes me that some people are so ignorant as to believe that even with the infinite amount of evidence against this man...that they believe he didn't get a fair trial. Are you kidding me? For one thing, a JURY found him guilty, they listened to the evidence...and THEY found him guilty. Another thing, Arnold admitted to the Reidsville Police that he drugged Angie Capps' drink...but his wise counsel, Doug Hux (insert snicker here) had him recant that statement on the witness stand. I am most sure that Doug Hux (who has his own legal hurdles to clear...yeah, he's got legal troubles of his own) told Arnold to declare bankruptcy quickly after the Reidsville Police found other victims willing to come forward AFTER Angie Capps filed her complaint. Why did the other women come forward after Angie Capps filed her complaint? Beause sometimes it takes one victim to make other victims realize that they need to do the right thing and stand up to a scumbag. He closed his office because he was smart enough to realize people were going to drop him like a hot coal...after all...who wants to do business with a man who drugs women to feel them up? And what were the first words of many people when Arnold Walker was busted? IT IS ABOUT TIME! So instead of talking trash about Angie Capps and her bravery for standing up to a so-called pillar of the community, and questioning her reason for standing up and being heard -- you should be offering her some praise for doing the right thing. Kudos, Angie! Hold your head up and stand proud! Oh, and one more thought...will the state allow Arnold to wear his toupee when he appears on the sex offender registry for life? A nice touch would be his toupee and those skimpy shorts he wears while jogging around town. Classy.

glamgirl

October 2, 2009 - 8:24 pm EDT

Wow! How would a person know what someone who just stepped out of a 1991 tri-colored Ford Escort look like? Isn't there an old saying..."It takes one to know one"? And why a 1991? Why not a 1992 or 1993 or even a 1989? And besides, unless "hoary" was at the trial (and on the defendant's side no less), how would that person even know what either of the girls looked like?

Classy is as classy does, and "hoary", I am sorry to let you down, but your "comment" is not very classy at all. It is however, classy to defend yourself against a Sexual Predator. That takes courage and smarts...which equal class in my book. And defending a Sexual Predator? That is about as low class as you can get.

I am only stating what a jury of the defendant's peers found to be true. Your comments, on the other hand, are just an opinion.

I hope that the girls he did try to mess with can recover, and take peace in the fact that some justice was served.

eMail Updates

Advertisement | Advertise with Us

Featured Ads

Search

Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us

News & Record Network Sites

User Tools

  • Social Networking
  • RSS
  • Share
  • Sign in to MyNR

Search