Donovan Leroy Campbell’s upcoming sentencing and eligibility hearing may run overtime.
“Essentially, you’re getting a second chance,” Judge Jim Shirley told the young man in jail stripes. “When you come back to court, I want a report from you. As part of the report, I want you to look at pictures of people before and after they started using methamphetamine.”
The judge also expects Campbell to do some research.
The defendant returns to Pershing County’s 11th Judicial Court on November 19. At Judge Shirley’s request, he will describe the effects of meth on the human body.
At 23, Campbell still resembles a before picture. His family wants to keep it that way. When he suffered a relapse, they reached out to Deputy Phillip Dickerman from the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office.
“I did the Humboldt County Drug Court Program but got in with the wrong crowd again,” said Campbell. “I started using recreationally just like before. It gradually got to the point where I was right back where I started.”
At his arraignment on Monday Campbell admitted to using methamphetamine in Lovelock this past summer.
A hefty majority of the cases passing through the 11th Judicial spring from narcotic use. According to Lovelock Police Chief Mike Mancebo, meth is one ingredient of the town’s chemical quicksand.
“Within the last few years we have seen heroin on the rise along with prescription opioids,” he said. “Meth has always been the steady drug of choice for people using those substances.”
Deputy District Attorney Todd Banks explained the possible penalties Campbell could face for the Category E felony - one to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
However, in most cases, Nevada law requires the judge to grant probation. Drug courts exist to help people beat addictions. Otherwise, prisons would overflow. Addictions cross all social strata and have touched many Lovelock families.
“There’s no such thing as casual heroin or meth use,” according to Orrin J.H. Johnson, a Nevada prosecutor. “Often the threat of legal consequences is the only thing that will get someone to start seeking an escape from the monkeys on their back.”
The judge ordered Cambell released from jail on the condition that he participate in a 28-day treatment program. Campbell’s family, present in the courtroom, would drive him to Vitality Center in Elko. Campbell also must apply to the Humboldt County Drug Court and maintain employment.
Other cases
• Matthew Dylan Koehler, from Michigan, missed his Monday morning court hearing. He faced sentencing for burglary and possession of a credit card without the consent of the cardholder.
Earlier Monday morning Koehler called his lawyer’s office from Omaha. He reported that he bought a bus ticket on Sept. 26, but missed connections. The judge gave Koehler until 1 p.m. to send a picture of the ticket.
Koehler failed to meet the deadline. The District Attorney’s office issued a bench warrant.
• The court arraigned Jeannette Irene Chamberlain, 49, on charges of driving under the influence, third offense. Chamberlain pleaded guilty to the Category B felony. She had two previous convictions in the past seven years.
She faces one to six years in prison. She’s applied for a DUI diversion program. The judge sentences her on Dec. 3.
In the meantime, he plans to talk with the drug court coordinator about testing protocols.
“I want you to succeed,” he told the defendant. “Sometimes those compliance measures help.”
According to Steve Cochran, Chamberlain has taken steps toward recovery on her own volition. He noted that in ten days she’d reach six months of sobriety.
