HIV-Positive Man Sentenced for Spitting on Cop  | News | Advocate.com

||  News  ||

05/17/08-05/19/08
HIV-Positive Man Sentenced for Spitting on Cop

An HIV-positive homeless man who spit on a police officer in Dallas was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday for harassing a public servant with a deadly weapon.

Willie Campbell spit in the mouth and eye of the police officer, before telling him that he is HIV-positive. Because of the deadly weapon finding, Campbell will not be eligible for parole until 17 years into his sentence, according to The New York Times.

Campbell was found unconscious on the street in 2006. He fought with paramedics and police who arrested him for public intoxication. None of the officers Campbell fought contracted the virus.

During the trial, prosecutors said that Campbell has been HIV-positive since 1994. His attorney Russell Henrichs said that Campbell did not resist arrest or spit on the police officer. Campbell's sentence was increased from 25 years because he was previously convicted of attacking two other police officers, biting two inmates, and other offenses. (The Advocate)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: mackdaknife
    Date posted: 2008-05-22 5:00 PM
    Hometown: Montreal

    Comment:

    gay people can be hoeless, I was once....I'm a waiter now in a location where a lot of Americans visit, you people are so stupid that most waiters toss a coin to see who suffer's....if this guy were some pretty white boy, it'll be all over the new's, and it's a bet he's not black, where's your Rev. Sharpie Mouthton ? it's some poor white street dude, who used to be good looking enough to hustle, and got the shuit doing what he knew to survive, so he goes to jail for nothing really, since HIV isn't present in Saliva ? Everytime I lose the toss of the coin, you know what I do with my spit.....watch that sauce the special foamy kind of green, that doesn't quite look like the rest of the sauce, it must be good, never got a complaint....


  • Name: Lee
    Date posted: 2008-05-19 12:11 PM
    Hometown: New York

    Comment:

    HIV can not be transmitted through saliva - where were the experts at this trail? The Prosecutor should be prosectuted.


  • Name: B
    Date posted: 2008-05-19 10:25 AM
    Hometown: Austin

    Comment:

    1) This is Texas 2) People are stupid Not everyone in Texas is stupid. Not everyone in Texas agrees with the fascist politicos and court systems. Instead of insulting us, how about giving us a hand in trying to change things for the better down here.


  • Name: William OBrien
    Date posted: 2008-05-19 7:22 AM
    Hometown: NY, NY

    Comment:

    Alan Jones is correct, HIV does not survive long in the saliva, nor would there be any risk of infection in the absence of frank bleeding (via gums/tongue/cheek) in the man's mouth... however, 1) this is Texas and 2) people are stupid. It sounds like this homeless man has a few active psych issues as it is, and our treatment of mental illness in this country is horrible. At best, this man needed an inpatient admit to a psych facility for polysubstance abuse - but the "HIV as a deadly weapon" is just a reflection of a larger problem in this case.


  • Name: Alan Jones
    Date posted: 2008-05-17 3:01 AM
    Hometown: Biloxi MS

    Comment:

    "...harassing a public servant with a deadly weapon." Who in this legal proceeding decided spitting is deadly? HIV is not present in saliva. Spitting is certainly rude but hardly a deadly act.


Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

Comments that do not concern specific articles in The Advocate or on Advocate.com will not be posted or published. See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • Anti-licious
    Season 5 of Project Runway wants you to know that delusional talentless contestants are back!
  • McCain a Moving Target on Gay Issues
    John McCain stated last week that he flatly opposes gay adoption, but now his campaign says he thinks the issue should be left up to the states.
  • A Forgettable Kiss
    In This Kiss two old friends reconnect before their high school reunion to relive a lesbian moment they once shared
  • Madonna's Latest Reinvention
    With rumors swirling that Madge has bedded a married Yankee, the public gets back the Madonna it loves best: brazen, sexual, and exciting.
  • HIV and Film: A Rare Combo
    The most famous AIDS movies are often lily-white and dripping with privilege. But as the recent film Before I Forget proves, HIV sees no boundaries. Here are 10 movies that did the same.
  • The Story Thus Far...
    David Sedaris opens up about embarrassing hairs, gay marriage, and whether or not he’s gay enough
  • Police Woman
    Long before Sam Adams made waves as Portland, Ore.'s gay mayor, the macho world of Oregon police enforcement was crashed by lesbian Jennifer Bills
  • Phair Play
    Fifteen years after the release of her revolutionary album Exile in Guyville, Liz Phair performs all of the album's 18 tracks in Chicago -- with mixed results
  • Aloha From Hawaii
    Advocate.com correspondent Job Brother takes a look at Starwood Hotels' newest property on Kauai and some of the resort group's recently remodeled gems on Oahu.
  • She Still Bops
    With Cyndi Lauper and a who's who of queer and queer-friendly talent, the True Colors tour is entertainment for all orientations and all generations.
  • State of the Unions
    Searching for the perfect tux? Wondering what you need to know to tie the knot? Look no further. The Advocate has joined forces with our friends at Out to bring you a comprehensive guide to all things marriage.
  • Obama Woos Clinton Donors, LGBTs Included
    Sen. Barack Obama meets with Hillary Clinton's donors in D.C. on Thursday, but the campaign's efforts to romance Clinton's LGBT fund-raisers is still finding its groove.
  • I'm a Dad
    Actor, singer, and all-around entertainer Sam Harris talks about his journey of adoption and the joys of taking on his latest title: father.
  • Good Golly, Miss Molly
    Molly Ringwald discusses her new ABC Family series, her daughter's gay godfather, her obsession with eBay, and why Andie could never have ended up with Duckie