A North Branch man who allegedly crashed his car into another, leaving a 6-year-old girl with life-threatening injuries, claimed at the scene that a woman was driving the car at the time of the crash, according to a criminal complaint.

Joe David Campbell, 39, was charged Tuesday in Chisago County with four counts of criminal vehicular operation, great bodily harm while under the influence.

Joe David Campbell (Courtesy of the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office)

Chisago County deputies responded to the crash near the intersection of Stacy Trail and Falcon Avenue North, on the west side of Kwik Trip, Saturday at 10:34 a.m.

Deputies saw a Kia sedan and a Volkswagen sedan with significant collision damage in the middle of the roadway, according to the criminal complaint. Multiple people were also at the scene, attempting to provide care to those injured inside the Volkswagen.

A man was in the Volkswagen driver’s seat and a woman in the front passenger’s seat. A 6-year-old and 17-year-old were in the back seats. The driver told deputies that as he exited Kwik Trip to turn left, the Kia traveling at a high rate of speed and fishtailing struck his vehicle, according to the complaint.

Both cars sustained heavy damage, and airbags went off according to the complaint. The Kia’s front passenger seat belt was in the resting position, revealing that it was not being used at the time of the crash.

Kwik Trip video footage of the crash shows Campbell exiting the Kia’s front passenger door immediately after the crash. Campbell told responders and deputies a woman was driving the Kia. All evidence from the scene did not align with his claim, according to officers.

Campbell smelled of alcohol and was placed under arrest.

A helicopter transported the 6-year-old to Gillette Children’s Hospital, where she was admitted into the pediatric intensive care unit. The child sustained a head injury and acute respiratory failure as a result. She was intubated at the hospital and is receiving continued treatment, according to prosecutors.

The 17-year-old sustained a rib fracture as a result of the crash. The driver and passenger sustained minor injuries.

Medical staff at M Health Fairview Hospital took a blood sample from Campbell at 12:52 p.m. Saturday. The sample will be submitted to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for toxicology, according to the complaint.

At the hospital, deputies said Campbell’s behavior fluctuated dramatically. At times he would would yell and act extremely hostile with hospital staff, then later would calm down and be apologetic. Campbell also had a difficult time staying awake.

Campbell is currently in custody in Chisago County.

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CLEVELAND — For parts of this season, Jorge Alcala has been among the Twins’ top bullpen arms, serving as an option in later innings.

But Alcala hasn’t been the same in the second half of the season and particularly since a blowup in Texas a month ago, during which he allowed five runs and recorded just two outs in the seventh inning of what became a tough loss.

Still, Alcala had been among the Twins’ later-inning options, unlike some of the pitchers who remain on the roster, making the decision to option him to make room on the roster for newly-claimed Cole Irvin a surprising one to many.

There were multiple reasons the Twins made this move, Alcala’s recent performance included, according to Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and president of baseball operations Derek Falvey.

Other reasons include the fact he still has minor league options, which means the Twins do not have to designate him for assignment and risk losing him as they would with some others. And the Twins are in a position where they need length from their bullpen with their three rookie starters — Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews and David Festa — often not making it through five innings.

Alcala has pitched two innings a handful of times, but a reason for keeping, say, Louie Varland, who also could be optioned, over Alcala is that Varland spent much of his season starting and can give the Twins more length.

Over Alcala’s past month, including that day in Texas on Aug. 18, he has a 10.38 earned-run average, giving up 10 runs in 8 2/3 innings. He has given up runs in five of his past nine outings and home runs in four of those. Alcala did not give up a home run until mid-July, but he has found himself more susceptible to the longball.

It’s the third time the Twins have optioned Alcala to Triple-A this season, though he has been in the majors since May 24.

“The last few weeks have been tough. He has given up a lot of hard-hit balls and home runs and things like that,” Baldelli said. “He still has good stuff. We still believe in him. We still anticipate him doing a lot of good things for us over time.”

Irvin joins Twins

When his father recently asked him about the possibility of being designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles, Irvin told him he thought there was about a 1 percent chance.

“Then, what do you know? I got the call,” Irvin said.

The Orioles designated him for assignment n Sunday. On Monday, the Twins claimed him off of waivers.

While he said he was disappointed to leave his friends and former teammates, he took a positive approach about the opportunity he has in front of him, joining the Twins as they fight for a playoff berth.

“I’ve got so much joy and happiness. There’s so much opportunity,” Irvin said. “I’ve heard so many good things about this organization, in terms of how they handle the pitching staff, how they help players get better.”

Irvin has started and relieved this season for the Orioles and said he’d be prepared for whatever the Twins ask of him.

“Be ready — that’s what I’ve been told,” Irvin said. “That’s what I’m going to do, be ready. … Just looking forward to just getting on the mound again and providing innings where the team needs it.”

Kepler gets cortisone shot

Max Kepler’s return from the injured list has been delayed after the right fielder reported feeling soreness in his hip/groin area, Falvey said.

Kepler received a cortisone shot Monday, and if he responds well, they will start ramping up his activity with the goal of him playing in Triple-A games by this weekend. That could potentially put him on track to return to the Twins next week.

The right fielder originally landed on the IL with patellar tendinitis in his left knee. Kepler’s knee is doing better, Falvey said.

Briefly

Bailey Ober will take the ball on Wednesday opposed by Guardians starter Tanner Bibee. Ober has had mixed results against Cleveland, giving up five runs in a four-inning effort in May and shutting the Guardians out for six innings in August.

Before Abigail Simpson’s boyfriend murdered her in her St. Paul apartment, workers who were supposed to supervise him knew he’d been missing doses of his psychiatric medications for more than six months, her parents said in a lawsuit against Ramsey County and care providers.

The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved a $75,000 settlement Tuesday in the wrongful death lawsuit, which also named other entities and was settled in total for a larger amount. Terrion Sherman had been civilly committed as mentally ill, was released from a psychiatric facility and was supposed to be receiving services while living in the community.

Abigail Simpson (Courtesy of Simpson family)

“It was known to defendants and their employees that Sherman had a history of schizophrenia, psychosis, major depression, physical aggression, verbal aggression, and substance abuse disorder at the time of his admission,” Simpson’s parents’ lawsuit said. “It was also known to defendants and their employees that if Sherman did not take his medications, he could harm himself or someone else, including members of the public.”

Ramsey County said in the settlement agreement that it was not “an admission of liability or responsibility.”

Simpson, 21, was a graduate of West Bend High School in Wisconsin who was attending college classes full time in St. Paul with a plan of becoming an attorney.

Sherman, now 28, received a 40-year prison sentence last October for beating and stabbing Simpson in front of his 2-year-old nephew on Feb. 26, 2020, in Simpson’s Pierce Street apartment, south of Interstate 94 and west of Snelling Avenue.  A judge called it “one of the most extreme and egregious murder cases” she’d ever encountered.

Lawsuit: County responsible for plan outside of hospital

Simpson’s parents filed a lawsuit in 2022 in Ramsey County District Court. Their attorneys, Brandon Vaughn and Rashanda Bruce, gave the following information in the complaint:

Sherman was charged on Aug. 11, 2018, with two counts of felony assault for allegedly spitting on law enforcement officers. He told them he wanted to go to the hospital because he was on K2, which is synthetic marijuana and can cause hallucinations.

Terrion Sherman (Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Corrections)

On Aug. 20, 2018, Sherman was charged with two counts of robbery for allegedly punching two female store clerks and stealing items from a store.

On Oct. 1, 2018, after an evaluation, a judge found Sherman was mentally incompetent to stand trial for the charges. Two days later, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office petitioned to have Sherman civilly committed as mentally ill and chemically dependent. After a hearing, a judge found him to be.

Sherman resided at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter while participating in a state program to restore competency. In March 2019, the Minnesota Department of Human Services sent notice that Sherman no longer required the same level of care and he would be “provisionally” released to a “customized living facility.” That happened in May 2019.

Ramsey County, as the county that civilly committed Sherman, was responsible for developing a provisional discharge plan for him and the county assigned him a social work case manager. They were required to review his plan quarterly and to include in the plan the grounds upon which his provisional discharge could be revoked, which included not taking medications as prescribed.

Missed days of medications

Sherman was to continue to work with and follow recommendations from Nystrom & Associates, which was his outpatient psychiatric provider, continue to take medications and not use drugs or alcohol.

Joyful Home, a licensed home health care agency, entered into an agreement with Ramsey County “to provide home and community-based services to Sherman,” the lawsuit said. They were to be paid for following Sherman’s discharge plan, including “administering Sherman’s daily antipsychotic and antidepressant medications as ordered, ensuring his attendance at psychiatry appointments, monitoring his behavior, monitoring his sleep, ensuring his meals, and reminding him about hygiene,” according to the lawsuit.

Joyful Home’s records showed that between July and December 2019, Sherman missed 47 days of his antipsychotic and antidepressant medications, and then an additional 29 days between January and February 2020.

According to Joyful Home, they notified Nystrom & Associates and Ramsey County that Sherman hadn’t been returning and had an increase of medication non-compliance.

“Upon information and belief, while residing at Joyful Home, Sherman used illegal drugs” and use of drugs would worsen his mental state, the lawsuit said.

On Feb. 14, 2020, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office petitioned to have Sherman recommitted as mentally ill and chemically dependent, which a judge agreed to. He continued his provisional discharge at Joyful Home.

The court ordered that medications could be given to Sherman by injection and the lawsuit said that should have happened because of his “lack of compliance with his medications.”

‘Appeared delusional … but calm’

On Feb. 25, 2020, the day before Sherman killed Simpson, he left Joyful Home and said he was going to a nearby gas station but didn’t return. They called and told him he needed to take his medications. They noted he “appeared delusional and a little anxious, but calm at the same time,” the lawsuit said.

Sherman planned to stay overnight at Simpson’s apartment and asked to bring his nephew because they wanted to take him to breakfast the next morning. Police responded to the apartment early Feb. 26, 2020, after a neighbor reported hearing Sherman yelling at Simpson, Simpson screaming, “Stop,” and the sounds of Sherman “throwing (Simpson) around the apartment,” the lawsuit said.

Simpson’s mother filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Health about Joyful Home’s care of Sherman. An investigation concluded that “neglect was substantiated.”

The lawsuit alleged negligence against Joyful Homes, Nystrom & Associates and Ramsey County.

A county spokesman said Tuesday they generally don’t comment on litigation whether pending, ongoing or settled.

An attorney for Joyful Home Health Care LLC declined to comment on the lawsuit and an attorney for Nystrom & Associates didn’t respond to a message seeking comment.

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