JURY FINDS GREG CAMPBELL INNOCENT

COLUMBIA -- A Boone County jury Thursday acquitted the man involved in an altercation with police that led to a civil disturbance last June on Good Hope Street in Cape Girardeau.

Greg Campbell, 36, of Cape Girardeau was found innocent of assault of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. The jury deliberated for approximately one hour and 15 minutes before announcing its verdict.

Outside the Boone County Courthouse after his acquittal, a visibly relieved Campbell was hugged by family members and friends. Campbell declined to talk to a reporter about the trial or verdict.

Campbell's attorney, Steve Wilson of Jackson, praised the jury for it's decision. The panel of seven men and five women also passed on the option of convicting Campbell of lesser, misdemeanor charges.

"We're very happy," Wilson said. "Justice was done."

If convicted, Campbell faced maximum sentences of life in prison on the assault charge and five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for resisting arrest.

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said minor discrepancies in the testimony of police officers who responded to the scene led to the jury's verdict.

"My impression was since everything happened so fast the officers each saw things a little bit differently," Swingle said. "The jury just felt there wasn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt as to exactly what happened."

The incident that led to the charges against Campbell began just after 1:30 a.m. on June 11 in the 300 block of Good Hope near the Taste Lounge. A civil disturbance involving what police estimated to be 150 people developed. The crowd injured several officers after pelting them with rocks and debris. A number of arrests resulted.

The last of the trials related to the incident will begin Tuesday in Hillsboro. Kenneth Campbell, Campbell's brother, is charged with assaulting a police officer and interfering with an arrest, both felonies.

The trial, like that of Greg Campbell's, was moved out of Cape Girardeau County on a change of venue request by defense attorneys.

Greg Campbell's trial began Tuesday and concluded Wednesday afternoon.

The prosecution contended Campbell verbally and physically threatened Cape Girardeau policeman Rollin Roberts for no known reason and then attacked the officer, putting Roberts in fear for his life.

The defense said Roberts had nearly run down Campbell with his patrol car and became angry when Campbell confronted him. It was Roberts, the defense said, who attacked Campbell.

During presentation of the state's case, Roberts testified the incident began when he was patrolling near the Taste. Roberts said he witnessed what he thought might be a drug deal and began following a vehicle that pulled away from the area when he arrived.

That vehicle was not driven by Campbell, and no evidence that a drug deal had taken place was presented.

Campbell, who spent nearly an hour on the witness stand Thursday, gave this account:

He arrived at the Taste after working the evening shift at Southeast Missouri State University, where he is employed as a maintenance supervisor. While at the bar he consumed one mixed drink and part of a beer.

He left the bar at around 1:20 a.m. and headed to his vehicle. As he crossed the street he saw the headlights of a vehicle heading east on Good Hope. There was plenty of time for him to cross until the vehicle, which he then noticed was a police cruiser, rapidly accelerated.

"I had to jump back to avoid being hit," Campbell said.

Campbell got into his vehicle and followed the patrol car around the block, ending up back near the Taste. He signaled the officer -- Roberts -- to pull over.

"I told him 'You need to watch how you drive; you nearly ran me over,'" Campbell said. "He was kind of taken aback and said, 'What did you say to me?'"

Roberts first ordered Campbell out of his vehicle and then back into it and asked for Campbell's driver's license. Roberts, using a racial phrase, again ordered Campbell out of the vehicle and sprayed Campbell with Mace before he could comply.

Campbell is black. Roberts is white.

A second officer, Brad Smith, then arrived. Smith was respectful, but Roberts became increasingly agitated. Roberts had not told Campbell he was under arrest for a noise ordinance violation, as Roberts had testified.

"The preliminary hearing in August was the first time I heard about a noise violation," Campbell said.

Campbell was up against his vehicle when Roberts repeatedly poked him in the back with a metal baton. Campbell turned his head to tell Roberts to stop.

"Then I called him a coward or something, and that's when he hit," Campbell said.

Campbell, still in pain and bleary-eyed from the Mace, took a blow to the head near his left eye. He didn't know what Smith was doing at this time.

"I just know he wasn't helping me," Campbell said.

Campbell saw a blur of blue -- Roberts -- coming at him and kicked, knocking the officer to the ground.

"This guy was acting abnormal," Campbell said. "He was acting as the aggressor toward me. I was scared."

Campbell held Roberts on the ground with his foot to keep the officer down so he couldn't attack further.

"All I wanted was for him to stay down," Campbell said. "I knew if he got up, I didn't know what the outcome would be."

Campbell heard his brother's voice but could not see. Within a minute, Campbell left and was taken to St. Francis Medical Center. He departed before the melee between officers and the crowd started.

He arrived at the hospital at 1:55 a.m. but soon left after being told by friends that his brother had been badly beaten by police. He went to police headquarters where he asked officers about his brother's status. Campbell returned to the hospital shortly before 2 a.m. where he received 13 stitches for his head wound. Police arrested him at the hospital.

Roberts' version of events was different. Roberts said he "didn't almost strike anybody" with his patrol car nor did he ever use abusive or racially inappropriate language.

Roberts said Campbell was physically and verbally threatening from the start of the encounter. After he was knocked to the ground, both Campbells stomped on his head in an attempt to kill him, Roberts said.

During cross examination, Campbell said the overly aggressive attitude of some officers who patrol the Good Hope area sparked the incident.

"They disregard the predominantly black residents as insignificant," Campbell said. "This particular police department rewards a pit-bull mentality."

Marc Powers may be contacted in Jefferson City at 573-635-4608 or by e-mail at mppowers@socket.net.