Cops stormed in and stopped him from drowning his 2-year-old in the bathtub. Now, he’s going to prison.

A Father’s Guilty Plea in Attempted Drowning of 2-Year-Old Son

A father from South Shore has pleaded guilty to attempting to drown his 2-year-old son in a bathtub. The horrific crime was only prevented thanks to the quick actions of a concerned Lyft driver who called 911, leading Chicago police officers to intervene and save the child.

Jeremiah Campbell, 32, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by Judge Laura Ayala-Gonzalez for the September 2023 incident. He will have to serve at least 85% of his sentence.

The disturbing chain of events began on August 25, 2023, when a Lyft driver dropped off Campbell and his son in the 7700 block of South South Shore Drive. Shortly after the drop-off, the driver called 911, alarmed by Campbell’s statements during the ride.

The driver reported that Campbell was talking about conspiracies and drowning his son as a sacrifice to Jehovah. Simultaneously, Campbell himself called 911, claiming that his son had drowned in a bathtub at the same address provided by the driver.

When officers responded to the scene, they received no response after knocking on the apartment door. Peering through the windows, they spotted Campbell bent over the bathtub, exhibiting suspicious movements.

Fearing for the child’s safety, the officers forced their way into the apartment. They found Campbell pulling the boy from the bathtub, with the child coughing up water. The officers quickly rushed the boy to paramedics, who transported him to a hospital for treatment. Fortunately, the child survived the ordeal.

Prosecutors revealed that Campbell was prohibited from being with the child due to an active order of protection at the time of the incident.

Court records also show that Campbell was already on probation for a domestic violence case from April 2021 involving the child’s mother and another man who tried to intervene. During that incident, Campbell physically assaulted the child’s mother and the intervening man, causing serious injuries.

In that previous case, Campbell pleaded guilty to aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and domestic battery after a violent altercation. He had shoved the child’s mother into a wall, dragged her off a bed, and attacked the intervening man with a knife, threatening both victims.

This detailed account of the events shows the severity of Campbell’s actions and the importance of swift intervention to protect innocent lives. The brave actions of the Lyft driver and Chicago police officers undoubtedly saved the young boy’s life.

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