Editor's Note: All references to the victim were changed to they/them to help protect the individual's identity. Additionally, a previous version of this story listed Campbell's age at 35. At the time of this story, Campbell is 34.
FULDA — A Fulda man was summoned to appear in Murray County Fifth District Court this week on charges of felony and misdemeanor domestic assault, stalking and two counts of disorderly conduct.
According to the criminal complaint, a report of domestic assault was brought to the Fulda Police Department on Jan. 1 involving an incident between the victim and Jason Campbell, 34.
The reporting party stated the victim was picked up in the street, running barefoot. The victim had neither shoes nor a coat and appeared emotional.
The victim told officers they were having problems with Campbell, with whom they shared a house, and because of that, they stayed in Slayton for a night. The victim returned home to Fulda and found Campbell asleep with several glasses containing liquor. According to the victim, Campbell is a recovering alcoholic.
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The victim received several “unhappy” text messages from Campbell throughout the day, and when they returned home, he appeared angry, so the victim left again.
The victim later contacted the reporting party and reported seeing Campbell go into the liquor store and didn’t want to go home if Campbell was drinking.
The reporting party, a mutual friend of both the victim and Campbell, suggested trying to get Campbell to come over so the victim could go home. While the reporting party was unable to locate Campbell at his residence or contact him via phone, he eventually received several concerning messages and a phone call from Campbell about suicide and death. He appeared extremely intoxicated and the reporting party assumed he had fallen asleep when the messages stopped.
The victim returned home and, not seeing any movement in the house, went inside to find Campbell sleeping on the couch. There was a bottle of whiskey on the table, which the victim took and dumped out due to Campbell being in recovery. The victim went to bed and, around midnight, Campbell woke and came into the victim's room.
Though he reportedly appeared calm at first, Campbell began yelling when he realized the victim had dumped out the bottle of alcohol and began to throw things. The victim called the reporting party to ask for help. The call only lasted about seven seconds, but the reporting party stated he could hear lots of yelling and “thuds” in the background.
Campbell then reportedly yanked the victim out of the bed by their hair before throwing the victim into the wall and punching them. According to the report, he then held the victim down with both hands around their neck, until the victim nearly passed out.
The reporting party arrived and began knocking at the door, and Campbell eventually got up to see who it was. He opened the door to talk to the reporting party, but when he saw the victim coming downstairs, he reportedly shut the door again and locked it. The victim ran for the garage door and out into the backyard.
The reporting party saw the victim exit, and picked them up a few streets over, before taking the victim to the police station.
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Officers photographed injuries, including red marks on the left side of the victim's forehead and around the victim's neck after receiving the victim's statement.
Police attempted to locate Campbell and searched the residence. While Campbell wasn't found, officers saw evidence of damage in the house, consistent with the victim’s statement that Campbell was throwing things.
Police reached out to several associates of Campbell, but were unable to locate him. Eventually, one associate called to report receiving a text from Campbell, stating he knew the victim’s car wasn’t at their residence, and asking where the victim was.
A month later, that same associate called to say Campbell had come by her house, and she had taken him to Marshall for a mental health evaluation, after which he was committed.
If convicted, Campbell faces a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment and/or a $5,000 fine on the charge of felony domestic assault by strangulation. The charge of stalking carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a $20,000 fine and each of the misdemeanor charges carries a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail $1,000 fine or both.
Note: This article was written based on information reported by local law enforcement agencies. The Globe reminds readers that all individuals are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Southwest Crisis Center is available in our community to support and empower survivors of sexual and domestic violence. For questions about services or how you can help, contact the Southwest Crisis Center at 1-800-376-4311 or mnswcc.org .
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