KENNETH CAMPBELL SENTENCED FOR HIS ROLE IN MELEE

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- A Cape Girardeau man was sentenced to one year in jail and given a $250 fine on Thursday for his role in a June 1999 melee on Good Hope Street.

Kenneth Campbell, 35, received the maximum jail time for the misdemeanor charge of third degree assault of a law enforcement officer, said Morley Swingle, Cape Girardeau County prosecutor.

A fine of $250 was imposed by Circuit Judge Dennis J. Kehm for the charge of interfering in an arrest.

Campbell had been found guilty of assault and interfering with an arrest after a Jefferson County jury deliberated for 13 hours over two days at the end of May. At the end of a four-day trial, the jury recommended that the judge sentence Campbell receive one year in jail.

The charges stem from an altercation between Campbell, his brother and police in the early morning hours of June 11, 1999. Defense attorney Charles Shaw of St. Louis had maintained that when Campbell attacked a police officer, he was coming to the aid of his brother. Greg Campbell was engaged in a confrontation with patrolman Rollin Roberts in the 300 block of Good Hope Street.

The prosecutor has stated that Campbell and his brother were the aggressors against Roberts.

The confrontation ultimately drew a crowd of about 150 who threw rocks and bricks at police who attempted to arrest Campbell.

The judge lauded the jury for staying focused in their verdict.

"The after-effects of this arrest, the so-called riot, happened, but are not a part of this sentencing," Kehm said. "The jury obviously cut to what the jury believed was the key -- that the defendant interjected himself into an arrest."

Shaw had argued for giving Campbell probation. He cited a good employment record, a supportive family and the opinion of the Board of Probation and Parole that Campbell was a good candidate for probation.

Swingle was satisfied with the judge's decision.

"The importance of the sentencing in this case is deterrence," Swingle said. "Police officers doing their job need to be protected."

Kehm said the law works equally for police and those they are supposed to arrest or protect.

"If a police officer uses bad judgment, he is subject to sanctions, such as dismissal or suspension," Kehm said. "But there is no excuse for putting oneself above the law by interfering with an officer at the time he is making an arrest."

Campbell has already filed an appeal of the decision with the state Court of Appeals. He is free after posting a $100,000 appeal bond as he waits for his case to return to court.

The judge ruled that Campbell must turn himself in to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department within five days of a mandate from the Court of Appeals.