MCCONNELSVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — A McConnelsville man who admitted to trafficking and sexually assaulting children in exchange for money and meth will spend 30 years behind bars.
On Feb. 21, Morgan County Judge John Wells sentenced Rusty Lee Campbell, 33, to 30 years in prison after a statewide, two-year investigation revealed he trafficked a minor for cash, drugs and other favors, according to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. Campbell also raped multiple children — some of whom he filmed, later sharing explicit videos of their sexual assault in an online group.
“We will not tolerate people who bring harm to our children,” Sherriff Douglas McGrath said in a statement.
Prior to his sentencing, Campbell pleaded guilty to three felony offenses: one count of first-degree rape, one count of first-degree human trafficking and 10 counts of second-degree pandering obscenities involving a minor, the sheriff’s office said.
The Morgan County Prosecutor’s Office recommended Wells sentence Campbell to 106 years for all charges, while Campbell’s defense attorney pushed for 15 years, according to the sheriff’s office. Judge Wells settled on a 30-year sentence in a state correctional facility, with time credit awarded for the 568 days Campbell spent in the county jail.
In May last year, the Southeastern Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force — which includes the Ohio Attorney General and multiple sheriffs’ and prosecutors’ offices — announced that its investigation into Campbell uncovered a string of other suspects involved in a larger human trafficking ring.