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Posted by: kwflatbed

The Associated Press



DALLAS --
An HIV-positive man convicted of spitting into the eye and mouth of a Dallas police officer has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Because a jury found that Willie Campbell used his saliva as a deadly weapon, the 42-year-old will have to serve half his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. He was sentenced Wednesday.
Campbell was being arrested in May 2006 for public intoxication when he began resisting and kicking inside the patrol car, Dallas police office Dan Waller testified.
Campbell was convicted of harassment of a public servant.


Wire Service

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Posted by: CJIS

Beautiful!

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Posted by: resqjyw0

By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
tellis@dallasnews.com


An HIV-positive man with a history of spitting at police officers and biting fellow jail inmates was sentenced to 35 years in prison Wednesday.

Willie Campbell's sentence came one day after the same Dallas County jury convicted the 42-year-old of harassment of a public servant for spitting into the eye and open mouth of Dallas Officer Dan Waller in May 2006.

As Mr. Campbell was being arrested for public intoxication, he began to resist and kicked at the computer screen in the police vehicle, Officer Waller testified during the two-day trial.

"He turns and spits," Officer Waller said. "He hits me in the eye and mouth. Then he told me he has AIDS. I immediately began looking for something to flush my eyes with."

During Tuesday's guilt/innocence phase of the trial, Mr. Campbell testified in his defense and offered to enter his feet as evidence to prove he did not kick the squad car's computer screen, said Aja Reed, a prosecutor who worked on the case.

On Wednesday, as another Dallas officer testified about Mr. Campbell spitting on him in an unrelated incident, Mr. Campbell jumped up and began yelling at the officer and prosecutors, according to another prosecutor in the case, Jenni Morse.

"He said to the officer, 'You're a liar. You're all railroading me. I'm an innocent man.' "

Dallas County sheriff's deputies took Mr. Campbell into custody and placed him in a holding cell, where he listened to the remainder of his sentencing trial. But not before he said to prosecutors, "You're going to rot in hell," Ms. Reed said.

Russ Hendrichs, Mr. Campbell's attorney, could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. Because the jury found that Mr. Campbell's HIV-positive saliva was a deadly weapon, he has to serve half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Officer Waller said he was elated with the jury's decision.

"I know it sounds cliché, but this is why you lock someone up, so our streets are safer," Officer Waller said. "Without him out there, our streets are a safer place."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...t.2fc6bdb.html

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Posted by: rg1283

I'm glad he got 35 years. I hope none of you ever have to take HIV medication, the side effects are horrible. However HIV/AIDs is by far more worse the the side effects.

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Posted by: adroitcuffs

Excellent news to know that the jury took this as seriously as they should have. When I do in-service trainings, I often speak of the morbidity vs. mortality issues of the myriad of things we encounter. Kudos again to the jury!!

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Posted by: NPD108

I really don't understand why we have to feed this idiots. Just put him out of his misery and save the tax payers some money. Win-win

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Posted by: 7costanza

I worked for security in a hospital and had a few situations like that, including a guy with hep c spit in my face while we were restraining him. I had to take those shots and wait like 9 months to see if I got infected..that sucks..

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Posted by: rg1283

Once they start using their disease as a weapon, they should be put to death. The AIDs drugs alone can easily run as much as $2 grand a month for someone with an active case.

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Posted by: Crvtte65

35-year sentence for HIV-positive spitter worries some

12:33 AM CDT on Saturday, May 17, 2008

By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
tellis@dallasnews.com Prosecutors convinced a Dallas County jury this week that HIV-positive saliva should be considered a deadly weapon.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and countless doctors say no one has ever contracted the virus from spit.
And that's why several AIDS advocacy groups and many individuals contend that the 35-year sentence Willie Campbell received Wednesday for spitting into the mouth and eye of a Dallas police officer was excessive.
Mr. Campbell was convicted of harassment of a public servant. Because of the jury's deadly weapon finding, he will have to serve half of his sentence before he's eligible for parole. The police officer, Dan Waller, has not contracted HIV.
Neither Mr. Campbell nor his attorney, Russ Henrichs, could be reached Friday for comment.
Also Friday, the Dallas County Health Department issued a statement about HIV transmission. The statement said that "HIV is usually spread by sexual contact with an infected person, by sharing needles with someone who is infected, or by transfusions with infected blood products." The statement went on to say that the "U.S. Public Health Service guidelines determines the risk of HIV transmission from such fluids as saliva and tears to be extremely low."
Dr. R. Doug Hardy, an infectious disease specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Medical Center Dallas, also said that fluids in people's eyes and mouths have very low risk of transmitting HIV. The higher risk is for Hepatitis B and C and syphilis, he said.
But Dallas County prosecutor Jenni Morse, who handled Mr. Campbell's case, said any risk level is sufficient for the deadly weapon finding used during the trial.
"No matter how minuscule, there is some risk," said Ms. Morse. "That means there is the possibility of causing serious bodily injury or death," the legal definition of a deadly weapon.
A woman who said she is HIV-positive said the jury's decision to call Mr. Campbell's saliva a deadly weapon was ridiculous.
"I'm sure he deserves some sort of punishment," said the East Texas woman, who grew up in Dallas. "But I don't think his HIV status should have any bearing at all."
The woman, who asked that her name not be used because of the stigma the disease still carries, questioned what this jury's decision says about how people perceive her being a mother of a child who does not have HIV.
"So if I say to my child, 'Let me have a sip of your drink,' and there's a chance that my saliva might be in that cup, does that mean I am using a deadly weapon?"
Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins said, however, that Mr. Campbell can't be compared to a loving mother.
"If you look at the facts of this case, it was clear that the defendant intended to cause serious bodily injury," said Mr. Watkins. "There's an intent factor. When a mother kisses her child, her intent is affection."
Mr. Campbell's sentence was nearly double that given the same day to a man being tried in a courtroom next door. That man, De Leon Vanegas Jr., was sentenced to 18 years in prison for giving "cheese" heroin to a 15-year-old boy who died after using the drug. The jury in that case declared heroin a deadly weapon.
Mr. Campbell had served time in prison twice, labeling him a habitual offender and starting his sentence time at 25 years. While in prison awaiting trial for this case, evidence showed, Mr. Campbell bit two inmates and attacked other officers.
Bebe Anderson, the HIV projects director at Lambda Legal, a legal organization for gay men, lesbians and people with HIV/AIDS, said the decision by Mr. Campbell's jury could cause further misconceptions about HIV and how it's transmitted.
"It's been 25 years since the virus was identified, but there are still lots of fears," said Ms. Anderson. "We are still facing people losing their jobs and fighting for their children because of fears that are unfounded."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...a.3a699bb.html

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Posted by: OCKS

Don't expect that to happen in mass.

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Posted by: 7costanza

No in Mass the guy would be suing you for putting your face in the way of his spit, and he would propably awarded pain and suffering.

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