A father from South Shore admitted guilt in an attempt to drown his 2-year-old son in a bathtub. Prosecutors revealed that the crime was averted thanks to a vigilant Lyft driver who called 911, leading Chicago police officers to break into the apartment and rescue the child.
Jeremiah Campbell, 32, received a 12-year prison sentence from Judge Laura Ayala-Gonzalez for the incident that took place in September 2023. According to legal requirements, he must serve at least 85% of his sentence.
Prosecutors detailed that the sequence of events began around 10 a.m. on August 25, 2023. A Lyft driver had just dropped off Campbell and his son on the 7700 block of South South Shore Drive. Alarmed by Campbell’s statements during the ride, the driver immediately contacted 911.
During the call, the driver reported that Campbell was speaking about conspiracies and mentioned drowning his son as a “sacrifice to Jehovah.” Meanwhile, 911 operators also received a call from Campbell himself, claiming that his son had drowned in a bathtub at the address given by the driver.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers received no response to their knocks on the apartment door. Peering through the windows, they observed a man leaning over a bathtub, performing what they termed “suspicious movements.”
Fearing for the child’s life, the officers forced entry into the apartment. Once inside, they saw Campbell pulling the child from the bathtub.
The police report notes that the child was coughing and expelling water. Officers quickly handed the boy over to paramedics waiting outside, who then transported him to a hospital for treatment. The child survived.
Prosecutors noted that Campbell was prohibited from being with the child due to an active order of protection at the time of the incident.
Court records indicate that Campbell was already serving a 36-month probation sentence from an April 2021 domestic violence case involving the child’s mother and another man who attempted to intervene. During that incident, Campbell allegedly pushed the mother head-first into a wall during a child support dispute, then dragged her off a bed by her feet, causing her to fall onto her back.
When another man tried to stop the assault, Campbell reportedly bit his nose, tearing flesh, and bit two of his fingers. Investigators stated that Campbell also picked up a kitchen knife and threatened to kill both victims before being persuaded by the child’s mother to put the knife down. Campbell eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and domestic battery.
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