How Could You? Hall of Shame-Brian and Monica Campbell

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Hereford, Arizona, adoptive parents Brian and Monica Campbell “who were facing 20 criminal charges of felony child abuse on Monday agreed to a plea deal that could send them to prison for a maximum of three years.

Brian and Monica Campbell were arrested last year after video footage revealed years of physical and sexual abuse they subjected their four adopted children to at their Hereford home. Their offenses included forcing the children to drink dirty water out of the family’s chicken coop, perform sex acts on each other and use a cat litter box rather than a toilet.

Compounding the children’s dilemma was the fact their parents held positions of trust in their southeastern Arizona community: Brian worked for the state Department of Child Safety as a case manager and Monica was a dispatcher for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, in charge of sending officers to respond to, among other things, complaints of child abuse.

On Monday, they requested a change of plea to Cochise County Superior Court Judge Timothy Dickerson. Prosecutors and attorneys for the children agreed to the plea to four felony counts of child abuse.

The agreement will save the children the pain of a public trial and give them some sense of closure, said Lynne Cadigan, one of the attorneys representing the children.

During an earlier pre-trial hearing, the Campbells glared at their children, triggering another round of trauma, she said.

“These children were basically in hell,” Cadigan said “They need to see their abusers in prison; otherwise, they’ll have no faith in the system.”

She said prison time is warranted, given the severity of their abuse.

“It’s a travesty if public officials who torture their own children don’t get some prison time,” she said.

Sentencing is set for Jan. 22, [2021] before Judge Dickerson.”

Parents plead guilty to four felony counts in horrific child-abuse case

[AZ Central 12/15/2020 by Mary Jo Pitzl]

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