Former Cass Tech and college football player Jayru Campbell pleaded not guilty Wednesday to multiple felony charges of assault with a dangerous weapon following an altercation with police officers at an Auburn Hills hospital on Christmas Day.
During the hearing in Oakland County District Court on Wednesday, the former Ferris State University quarterback was arraigned on several felony and misdemeanor charges, which all stem from a Christmas Day incident at Havenwyck Hospital that was livestreamed on Campbell’s Facebook page.
Campbell’s attorney Jeffrey McCarty shed light in court on the circumstances that led to the arrest.
Campbell appeared in Rochester Hills district court over video from the Oakland County Jail, where has been held since his arrest at the psychiatric facility in Auburn Hills on Sunday. Among the misdemeanors he was charged with being trespassing and disturbing the peace.
Campbell is facing fourth-degree child abuse, three counts of felonious assault on a police officer, disturbing the peace and trespassing. The child abuse charge is a misdemeanor and carries a penalty of one year in jail or five years of probation; each count of felonious assault is a felony, which holds a penalty of four years in prison and/or a $2,000 fine; and the charges of disturbing the peace and trespassing are misdemeanors.
The former Ferris State University quarterback, who turned 26 while in jail this week, livestreamed the Christmas Day skirmish with police on his Facebook page. He posted two videos of the altercation.
In one of the videos, which is about 8 minutes long, Campbell is holding a little girl. Campbell has a daughter who was born in 2020.
About halfway through the video, there’s a confrontation between Campbell and four police officers. One of the officers is carrying a riot shield that reads “Police AHPD” on it.
McCarty, Campbell’s lawyer, provided details about the incident at the hospital, saying his client had taken his 2-year-old daughter to the hospital on Christmas so she could see her mother.
“Obviously there’s much more than meets the eye than what the world saw by way of the Facebook live video,” McCarty said.
“I know Mr. Campbell, if he was here and he was speaking on his behalf, he’d want you to know this: He brought his daughter to see her mother on Christmas Day.”
According to the attorney, Campbell had called 911 himself after his efforts to have his daughter visit with her mom were unsuccessful.
“He called 911 when apparently that wasn’t going to happen,” McCarty explained. “He sought help … instead of a crisis intervention we saw an escalation.”
Ryan Gagnon, chief of police of the Auburn Hills Police Department, said officers worked to de-escalate the situation.
“The officers maintained their composition and used time and space, which allowed them to de-escalate the situation and negotiate with the person,” Gagnon said. “We are grateful for the outcome and that no one was injured during this incident.”
Campbell has a history of run-ins with the police. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail on May 30, 2014, as a result of a misdemeanor assault charge and subsequent plea deal in connection with the fight with a high school security guard. The football star was 17 and a junior at the time.
He was arrested in his senior year after an incident with his girlfriend.
In court on Wednesday, McCarty was critical of the officers’ response to the Christmas Day altercation.
“I firmly believe none of those officers were placed in immediate harm. … That was the last thing Mr. Campbell wanted to do,” he argued about the three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.
Details from a police report read aloud in the courtroom indicated that the victims of the incident are listed as three police officers at the hospital and Campbell’s daughter.
Arguing in favor of granting bond, McCarty said Campbell’s life is firmly rooted in southeast Michigan and that the 26-year-old was currently training for football tryouts in March.
“He’s training and conditioning and getting ready for that experience … to further his dreams of playing professional football,” McCarty said.
According to the attorney, Campbell previously played for a franchise team in North Dakota and was currently looking to make a team in West Texas, the attorney said. Campbell has also worked as a carpenter and other jobs, McCarty said.
The court’s pretrial services recommended supervised release due to the defendant’s criminal history, which includes two active bench warrants, and concerns regarding possible mental health issues.
Oakland County District Court Judge Julie Nicholson sets a $30,000 bond and other pretrial release restrictions for the Metro Detroit residents.
“Given the fact that you do have prior criminal history …, the court does find that you are high risk when it comes to whether or not you will appear for all court appearances,” Nicholson said, adding that the nature of the charges and past criminal history also indicated a potential safety risk.
In setting the bond, Nicholson stipulated that Campbell would be required to wear a GPS tether, submit to drug and alcohol testing, and participate in mental health and substance abuse assessments. The judge also required that Campbell not have any contact with his daughter. The former local football standout’s face sunk when the judge relayed the no-contact order.
A probable cause hearing has been set for Jan. 15, and the preliminary exam is set for Jan. 17.
Staff Writers Charlie Ramirez and Mark Hicks contributed.
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