Saturday, January 23, 2010

TOP STORY >> Campbell trial is set for March

By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer

Former Lonoke Police Chief Jay Campbell, whose convictions in April 2007 were remanded back to the Lonoke County Prosecutor’s Office, will be retried on 17 of the original 26 charges, Prosecutor Will Feland told Circuit Judge Barbara Elmore Friday.

Campbell appeared at the 10-minute hearing with several supporters.

Feland said the state Supreme Court had overturned several charges, including running a continuing criminal enterprise, the statute of limitations had expired on others and the time already served satisfied the misdemeanor convictions.

Campbell still faces other charges, including conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, five burglaries, theft of property, six or seven charges of obtaining drugs by fraud, two charges of hindering apprehension and one count of filing a false report.
Elmore set Feb. 5 for an omnibus hearing.

The actual trial is set for March 2-4, with pretrial hearing on March 1, Feland said.

Campbell’s wife, Kelly Harrison Campbell, was convicted of 23 crimes at the same time.

She was sentenced to 10 years in prison and recently dropped her appeal because she’s nearing her first parole eligibility.

She could be paroled in a few months.