Gerald Verne Campbell, 63, of the Woodlands is a repeat child molestor.
Another Child Predator Sent to Prison, 20 Years Handed Down In Judge Coker's Court, LIVINGSTON, February 18, 2009 - Polk County Criminal District Attorney William Lee Hon's office sent another child predator to prison in their continuing effort to prosecute child molestors and sex offenders. Gerald Verne Campbell, age 63 of The Woodlands, plead guilty Tuesday to the1st Degree felony offense of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child in the 258th District Court, before Judge Elizabeth Coker. In consideration of his guilty plea, Campbell was sentenced to serve a period of 20 years in prison. According to Polk County District Attorney Lee Hon, the indictment against Campbell alleged that he had molested a 9 year old girl in March of 2007 bydigital penetration of her female sexual organ. The investigation, conducted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Department, revealed that the molestation occurred at a weekend home belonging to Campbell in the Goodrich area. Charges were also filed in Montgomery County against Campbell based upon similar contact occurring in that county involving the same victim.
According to Hon, the investigation had originally commenced in Galveston County when attendants at a League City nail salon reported suspicious behavior on the part of any older white male toward a young juvenile female at the nail salon. Upon investigation by the League City Police Department, the victim made an outcry of sexual abuse occurring in Montgomery County and Polk County.
When preparing for Campbell’s trial, which was originally scheduled to commence on February 9th, Hon and District Attorney Investigator Mark Jones identified a second victim of Campbell’s who resided in Humble. Based upon information obtained by Texas Ranger Ronald Duff, Hon and Jones were able to locate the 16 year old girl who made an outcry of abuse against Campbell based upon molestation which occurred over a 3 year period of time between her 9th and 12th birthdates. According to Hon, the victim in that case was a godchild of Campbell’s. “The conduct involving the second victim occurred in Walker County and Harris County and the information we obtained has been turned over to the Houston Police Department and the Walker County Sheriff’s Department for additional charges to be filed,” Hon stated.
On February 9th, Campbell failed to appear for trial in the 258th District Court and his bond was forfeited. According to Hon, it was determined that Campbell had attempted suicide by drug overdose and had been admitted to a Conroe area hospital. During his hospitalization, Campbell also suffered a heart attack. Upon his release from the hospital, Campbell was taken into custody by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and transported to Polk County. “Last Friday, I was contacted by Campbell’s defense attorney who informed me that Campbell wished to change his plea to ‘guilty’ in exchange for a previous 20 year plea recommendation that we had made after consulting with the victim and her guardian,” Hon stated. Hon pointed out that Campbell will likely have to serve a minimum of 85% of the 20 year sentence before he might be considered for parole.
“The interesting thing about this case was that in each instance of molestation Campbell had befriended the families of the victims in order to gain access to these young girls,” Hon noted. “He was financially very well off and would lavish gifts and other favors upon the girls and their families in order to build up a level of trust so that he could ultimately be alone with the girls,” Hon stated. “I think this case serves as a perfect example of why parents should be very wary of who they trust to have unfettered access to their kids,” Hon added. “Regrettably, people need to understand that Polk County is a growing county and these kinds of crimes really do occur here in our midst with alarming frequency. There are absolutely people in this county who desire to exploit young children for their own selfish pleasure and parents need to take the appropriate precautions,” Hon concluded.
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