Father charged in crash that killed 5-year-old appears in court

ELLSWORTH, Maine (WABI) - An Indiana father made his first court appearance Wednesday after being arrested in connection with a Hancock County crash that left one child dead and another hospitalized.

Dion Campbell, 33, is charged with manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, driving to endanger, and criminal OUI.

Police say he ran a stop sign at Route 9 and Route 193 in Township 22 Monday and hit an embankment.

According to a defense attorney, Campbell was in Maine for a wedding.

Two children were in the car at the time of the crash, a five-year-old boy who died at the scene, and a 10-month-old girl who was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Police say the children were not properly secured, and the boy who died was sitting in the passenger seat.

Campbell appeared in Hancock County court Wednesday afternoon via Zoom.

The state asked that Campbell to be held on $10,000 cash bail.

Defense attorney Hunter Tzovarras called the crash a “tragic accident,” and asked that Campbell instead be held on $3,000 cash bail, so his family could afford to fly back to Indiana and arrange their son’s funeral. He added that due to injuries Campbell sustained in the crash, including broken legs and a lacerated liver, he would be unable to work for an extended period of time.

Campbell’s wife and 10-month-old daughter were in the courtroom.

While the child who died was not Campbell’s biological son, according to the defense attorney, he did act as the boy’s father.

The defense argued Campbell has a stable job in construction and only one prior charge for public intoxication from over a decade ago.

While alcohol containers were found in the car, Tzovarras said they were unopened. He added that while Campbell did test positive for THC, the chemical can appear in tests for days to weeks after use. Tzovarras told WABI the affidavit does not say if Campbell tested positive or negative for alcohol.

The judge granted the defense’s request of $3,000 bail. As part of release conditions, Campbell cannot consume any alcohol or possess illegal drugs or marijuana.