BENTONVILLE — Zachary James Campbell was sentenced to more than three decades in prison for shaking his infant son.
Campbell, 19, of Rogers pleaded no contest to battery in the first degree, a Class Y punishable with a prison sentence ranging from 10 to 40 years or life. Public Defender Brynna Barnica, who represents Campbell, and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Stuart Cearley were able to resolve the case through a plea agreement
Campbell was arrested Oct. 24 after his infant son was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Rogers. The child’s mother and grandmother took the boy to the hospital after noticing his eyes were puffy and he was unresponsive, according to court documents.
FAST FACT
Shaken-Baby Syndrome
Shaken-baby syndrome is a severe head injury that occurs when a baby is shaken forcibly enough to cause the baby’s brain to bounce against the skull.
The injury may cause bruising, swelling and bleeding of the brain, which may lead to permanent, severe brain damage or death. Symptoms may include changes in behavior, irritability, lethargy, loss of consciousness, pale or bluish skin, vomiting and convulsions.
Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Dr. Rob Karas told Benton County Sheriff ’s Office Investigator Audrey Thompson the child arrived at the hospital with a low temperature, bruises on an eyelid and leg, a broken right collar bone and bleeding on the brain, according to court documents.
The infant was later flown to St. John’s Regional Health Center in Springfield, Mo., according to court documents.
Campbell admitted under questioning to shaking the child several different times, court documents said. Campbell told investigators he was stressed and sleep deprived and was trying to get the baby to stop crying, according to court documents.
Cearley told Circuit Judge Robin Green that Campbell caused serious physical injuries by violently shaking his son on more than one occasion.
Campbell did not object to the prosecutor’s statement.
Caroline Wilson, the child’s grandmother, was present in court but did not speak. Instead, Cearley read a letter she had written.
“We’ll never know what Carter could have accomplished or what he could have grown up to be,” Cearley read. “All this whole family prays for now is that Carter wins his fight for life.”
Wilson states in the letter her grandson is now 10 months old and weighs 10 pounds. According to Wilson’s letter, it is likely the boy will be blind and deaf. The child may never walk and always will be fed through a tube in his stomach, the letter states.
Campbell, who had no prior criminal history, declined an opportunity to address the court.
Green accepted the plea agreement and Campbell’s guilty plea.
Campbell was sentenced to 32 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. He will be eligible for parole after serving eight years.
He must abide by a suspended sentence agreement after his release from prison.
Campbell received 207 days of credit for the time he spent in the Benton County Jail awaiting trial. He must pay $1,870 in court costs.
Green ordered Campbell not to have any contact with his son.