Petty Officer Previously Arrested for San Diego DUI Now Charged With Shooting Death of Sailor
A US Navy Petty Officer named Jonathan Campos has been arrested and detained in his ship’s brig for the shooting murder of a fellow seaman, Boatswains Mate August Provost III. The Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) arrested Campos July 1st in connection with the June 30 shooting. Just ten days prior to the murder, Campos had been arrested for driving under the influence in Imperial Beach, California. In addition to the Southern California DUI charge, Petty Officer Campos also faces charges for possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, attempt to commit arson, breaking and entering, unauthorized absence from the Navy, and robbery.
The murdered seaman’s family claims that Campos murdered Provost due to his sexuality. They have been urging the Navy to treat the incident as a hate crime. According to the family, Seaman Provost had complained multiple times about harassment, but he never lodged an official complaint due to the Navy's strict "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy. (He allegedly feared that, had he revealed his homosexual dispensation, he could have been removed from his post.)
Given the slate of serious charges against Petty Officer Campos, the Navy has called for an Article 32 Investigation Hearing – which is essentially NCIS' version of a Grand Jury trial. Even if Officer Campos is not convicted of a hate crime, if he is convicted of the shooting as well as of the other charges pending against him, he could face many years behind bars as well as a variety of other penalties.
If you’ve been arrested while driving under the influence in San Diego while on leave from the Armed Forces, you may need a lawyer who has experience both with Southern California DUI law and with US Naval proceedings. Attorney Stephen Brodsky has that experience. Upon graduating from law school in the mid ‘80s, Attorney Brodsky worked as a Navy Judge Advocate for the federal government. In 1988, he left this post to start his own law practice. For nearly two decades, Attorney Brodsky has fought vigorously on the behalf of literally hundreds of San Diego criminal and DUI defendants, and he knows the ins and outs of both the Southern California civil court system and the US Navy’s internal justice system. For immediate help with your pressing legal questions, contact Attorney Brodsky either at 1-800-GOOD-ADVICE or at www.criminalattorneysandiego.com.
