Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Campbell charged as habitual crimal

Gurdon's Billy Joe Campbell, 45, is looking at some serious jail time.

Campbell was recently arrested on a series of drug charges by the Gurdon Police Department, Clark County Sheriff's Office and Area 6 Drug Task Force.

The raid at his house on 8th Street occurred June 5, after officers had made a drug buy at the residence in late May, according to court records.

Campbell, though, fought officers when they entered his house. He met CCSO SWAT officer Will Steed swinging, and struck the officer a number of times before other officers were able to knock him down onto a bed, where he kept fighting.

It reached a point in the struggle where officers sprayed Campbell with pepper spray. Even then, he kept fighting, but was eventually restrained and handcuffed, records stated.

The subsequent search turned up a plastic bag with an off-white substance believed to be crack cocaine on the dresser, a large amount of cash, also on the dresser, and a second plastic bag with an off-white substance believed to be crack weighing 8.4 grams.

The substance in the bags was field tested and showed a positive match in being crack cocaine.

Officers also found a pill bottle with an off-white residue, a 200 channel scanner with local frequencies programmed in, two hand-held scanners, a chrome pan on the kitchen stove with off-white residue believed to be used in the manufacture of crack, two boxes of baking soda, also used to make crack, several plastic bags and a razor blade.

Campbell was charged with possession of a controlled substance, crack, with intend to deliver, manufacture of a controlled substance, crack, possession of drug paraphernalia, battery in the second degree, resisting arrest and maintaining a drug premises in a drug free zone.

At the time of his arrest, Campbell was on parole from the Arkansas Department of Corrections for a 1993 conviction of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of a controlled substance, robbery and arson.

Because of his prior record, Campbell has been charged as an habitual offender in this instance. This increases the penalties on all charges filed.

The charge of manufacturing a controlled substance is a class Y felony, in this case carrying a sentence of 10-60 years in prison and a fine up to $25,000.

Possession of a controlled substance is also a class Y felony, with the aforementioned penalty.

The drug paraphernalia charge is a class D felony, as is resisting arrest, both with possible sentences of up to 12 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000 or both.

Maintaining a drug premise in a drug free zone, because the house was within 1,000 feet of a church, is a class B felony, with a sentence of 5-30 years in prison and a fine up to $15,000 or both.

It was recommended, and accepted, not to set bail in this case because of Campbell's prior record, according to court records.