Custard Shop Owner Charged with Raping Employee
Liberty, MO- The former owner of a Liberty dessert shop has been charged with having an illegal affair with a teenage employee. Clay County Prosecutors have charged 51-year old Jeffrey Campbell with nine counts, including statutory rape and sodomy. Campbell closed the SRO Frozen Custard store on Liberty's Main Street in September after police began investigating him. Prosecutors say Campbell hired a 15-year old girl in May of 2003 and by April of 2004 was having sex with her in his store after hours. Other store employees told police Campbell was "a pervert" who sexually harassed many of his female employees. The underage girl Campbell's accused of having an affair with came forward after her parents confronted her in September. Investigators say, just two weeks ago, Campbell asked the girl "if she would visit him in prison." Campbell is free on bond.
Why am I posting this? Well, for three of my readers, this breaking story is about a man we knew and trusted. This man was a prominent figure in our church, he and his wife taught our Sunday school for a while. Upon my return to this town, he was one of the first people to welcome me home. Just this summer, while waiting for our wives at the movie theatre, Bruce and I saw Jeff and his wife exiting Fahrenheit 911and stopped to say hello. Six months later, I am struggling with understanding this whole mess. I feel so confused and shocked.
I called Otto last night before the news aired and we talked about it. At the time, I think I was trying to convince myself that this was just a case of poor judgment on his part. I felt sorry for his wife, his daughters and him for having such poor judgment. I thought all these things before I watched the news and learned more than I wanted to.
Now I see his mug shot on TV and I think, how could you do this? They say they did it in the parking lot of the Hy-Vee grocery store. On a late night trip for diapers, did I unknowingly drive by your car? They say they did it in the back of the store during business hours. When I came into your store and you or one of the girls you employed came from the back, had you been busy doing something you shouldn't have been?
In the past, before becoming a parent, I would have found this shocking, talked briefly about it and then shrugged it off. Now, as a father of two daughters, I cannot stop thinking about it. Mrs. 808 asked me what I would do if I found out that someone did that with one of our daughters. I simply said she would have to call the police to stop me from killing the person.
