Driver charged with multiple felonies after Chisago County crash that left 6-year-old critically hurt

A 39-year-old man suspected of being intoxicated has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with a crash Saturday in Stacy, Minn., that left a 6-year-old girl hospitalized in critical condition and injured three others.

Joe Campbell, of North Branch, Minn., was charged with three counts of criminal vehicular operation causing bodily harm while under the influence of a controlled substance, according to charges filed Tuesday in Chisago County Court.

Campbell was driving north on Falcon Avenue and was fishtailing and moving at a high speed when he collided with another vehicle that had just turned onto the street from a Kwik Trip station, according to the charges.

Deputies arrived at the scene at about 10:35 a.m. and learned that Campbell told responding citizens that a woman had been driving the car.

“All evidence from the scene refuted this assertation” the complaint said, noting deputies noted Campbell smelled of alcohol and arrested him.

Campbell was taken to a hospital where his behavior fluctuated dramatically, from “yelling and [being] extremely hostile with hospital staff” and then calming down, the complaint said. Deputies believed Campbell was impaired by a controlled substance and collected a blood sample. The sample was sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing, the complaint said.

A 6-year-old girl riding in the vehicle that was hit was airlifted to Gillette Children’s Hospital, where she was placed in the pediatric intensive care unit. The girl suffered acute respiratory failure, hemorrhaging and other injuries, the complaint said. She remained in the hospital on Tuesday.

Three other people in the car the girl was riding in also were hurt, but not seriously, the complaint said.

Campbell remained in the Chisago County jail on Tuesday and is due in court on Sept. 30.