The person of interest in the Springfield fatal hit and run is in jail on separate charges.
Jeffrey Campbell was arrested for spitting on a Springfield police officer early Friday morning as they tried to bring him in for questioning on a crash that left another man dead, according to a Springfield Police Division report.
Phillip Carlton, 41, was struck as he stood on a concrete median at the corner of South Shaffer and Court streets Friday morning about 1 a.m., said Sgt. Brett Bauer.
Tips about a suspect vehicle led police to the Night Owl bar on West Main Street where the vehicle was located, along with Campbell.
When officers tried to take Campbell in for questioning, he spit on them, Bauer said.
Police are still investigating the fatal crash, Bauer said, with two separate angles: a traffic crash but also a criminal offense of whether the driver purposefully struck the victim.
No charges related to the crash have been filed.
Campbell did not appear in a Clark County Municipal Court arraignment Friday morning because he was being uncooperative, according to court records.
But a judge set his bond at $5,000 and rescheduled his appearance for Nov. 8.
UPDATE @ 6:35 a.m.
Springfield police confirmed a person of interest in a fatal pedestrian crash is in custody, following an arrest for a separate charge.
The man, identified at 53-year-old Jeffrey Campbell was arrested behind the Nite Owl Bar after he spit in an officer’s face and led police on a brief foot chase, according to dispatchers.
Campbell was charged with harassment of bodily fluids and was booked into the Clark County Jail.
He is not facing any charges related to the crash yet, but is considered a person of interest.
We’ll update this page when new details are available.
FIRST REPORT
Springfield police said a man is dead and a woman was injured in a hit-skip pedestrian crash early Friday morning.
Officers and medics were dispatched to the intersection of Court and South Shaffer streets just before 1 a.m. on a reported pedestrian strike.
Investigators said they found a man lying in the road unresponsive. He was transported to Springfield Regional Medical Center but was pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman was later discovered in the 100 block of South Race Street also suffering injuries from the crash. Police said her injuries were not serious and she was not transported to a hospital for treatment.
Investigators said the woman was injured in the incident, but they were not confident she was hit by the vehicle.
The identities of both victims were not released.
The vehicle involved fled the scene but was later located parked behind the Nite Owl Bar on West Main Street.
A possible suspect description was not available.
Crash reconstruction units along with homicide detectives investigated the scene, and allowed the roadway to reopen around 5:45 a.m.
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