By ONME News
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against Joal Lee Campbell (36, of Fresno) for his role in a fatal traffic crash that occurred in the evening hours of January 6, 2025. It is alleged that while driving his Ford Ranger pickup truck westbound on Belmont Avenue towards Palm Avenue at a high rate of speed, Campbell ran a red light and crashed into a Chevrolet S 10 pickup driving northbound. The collision claimed the lives of Robert Castro Ruiz and Raymond Leigh Sandoval (71 and 62, respectively, of Fresno), who were both in the Chevrolet.
An Investigation by the Fresno Police Department showed that Campbell was driving impaired at the time of the crash. Chemical testing of Campbell’s blood revealed that he had a concentration of alcohol in his system at nearly three times the legal limit to legally operate a motor vehicle. In addition, Campbell had methamphetamine and THC in his system.
The Felony Complaint filed in the Superior Court alleges that Joal Lee Campbell committed:
Two (2) Counts of MURDER [Penal Code §187];
One (1) Count of DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A COMBINATION OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS CAUSING GREAT BODILY INJURY [Vehicle Code §23153(g)/Penal Code §12022.7(c)/Penal Code §12022.7(a)];
One (1) Count of DRIVING WITH A BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION OVER .08% CAUSING GREAT BODILY INJURY [Vehicle Code §23153(b)/Penal Code §12022.7(c)/Penal Code §12022.7(a)];
One (1) Count of DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL CAUSING GREAT BODILY INJURY [Vehicle Code §23153(a)/Penal Code §12022.7(c)/Penal Code §12022.7(a)];
One (1) Count of DRIVING WITH A SUSPENDED LICENSE [Vehicle Code 14601.1], and
One (1) Count of FAILURE TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT [Vehicle Code §21453(a)].
Campbell was previously convicted of an alcohol-related driving offense in 2010, when he was convicted of reckless driving involving alcohol, commonly referred to as a “wet reckless.” At the time of the collision, he was also wanted for a violation of driving under the influence of drugs from an arrest in December of 2021. It is also alleged that Campbell was previously convicted of a residential burglary in 2014, which constitutes a “strike” offense under California’s Three Strikes Law.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of ten years plus 60-years-to-life in state prison.
Campbell was arrested by officers of the Fresno Police Department and remains in custody. He is scheduled to be arraigned on January 9, 2025, in Department 32 of the Fresno Superior Court.
The case is being prosecuted by the Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driver Vertical Prosecution Program. Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. *** [
Kommentare