Published: May 15, 2008 09:21 am         

HIV-positive man sentenced 35 years for spitting at officer

DALLAS — An HIV-positive man convicted of spitting into the eye and open mouth of a Dallas police officer has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Because a jury found that Willie Campbell used his saliva as a deadly weapon, the 42-year-old will have to serve half his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. He was sentenced Wednesday.

Campbell was being arrested in May 2006 for public intoxication when he began resisting and kicking inside the patrol car, Dallas police office Dan Waller testified.

"He turns and spits," Waller said. "He hits me in the eye and mouth. Then he told me he has AIDS. I immediately began looking for something to flush my eyes with."

Campbell, who was convicted of harassment of a public servant, has a history of spitting at police officers and biting fellow jail inmates, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Dallas County prosecutor Aja Reed said Campbell began yelling in court when another officer testified Campbell spit on him during an unrelated incident.

"He said to the officer, 'You're a liar. You're all railroading me. I'm an innocent man,'" Reed said.