By Paul Garrod
Staff Writer
news4garrod@gmail.com
PAW PAW – On Monday, Jan. 27, Gregory Campos, 34, of Mattawan, was found guilty following a jury trial in 36th Circuit Court, Paw Paw, on four charges stemming from a 2023 incident in Waverly Township in which a 28 year-old Decatur woman was struck and killed by a truck driven by Campos, according to a press release from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
Following the jury trial, Campos was found guilty on the following four charges: Count 1 – second degree murder, Count 2: assault w/great bodily harm, Count 3 – operating while intoxicated causing death, and Count 4 – possession of a controlled substance. Sentencing is scheduled for March 18, 2025. The incident occurred on Dec. 23, 2023, at approximately 2:45 a.m. in the 46000 block County Road 665, in Waverly Township.
Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott said at the time of the incident, Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence in the 46000 block of County Road 665 for a report that a male subject had intentionally hit a female with a truck and drove it into a house. Upon arrival, deputies located the 33-year-old suspect still on scene and a seriously injured 28-year-old Decatur woman lying in the yard. The suspect was immediately detained, and medical assistance was provided to the female. Van Buren Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived on scene and transported the female to the hospital, where she died from her injuries.
A second victim, a 28-year-old Paw Paw man, was also struck by the truck and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The initial investigation revealed that the suspect arrived at the resi-dence looking for his girlfriend, but she was not there. An altercation took place between the two victims and the suspect in the driveway of the residence. The suspect then intentionally struck both subjects with his truck leaving the female mortally injured in the yard. The male victim tried to escape into the residence after being hit the first time and the suspect crashed his truck into the residence trying to hit him again.
The truck became disabled, and the suspect remained at the scene. When the suspect was taken into custody there was methamphetamine located on the individual, who also admit-ted to using methamphetamine prior to coming to the residence. The suspect was arrested and transported to the Van Buren County Jail.
