Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On May 3, 2020, Arkansas State Police Trooper Kenya Campbell was on routine patrol, parked on I-40 West near mile marker 132, when a vehicle driven by a young woman, later identified as Kaelyn Marie Ashby, flew by her location at a high rate of speed. Trooper Campbell attempted to stop the vehicle, which instead accelerated away at speeds reaching 120 miles per hour. Ashby would later claim that she was not running from the police.
About four miles later, the pursuit ended in a random person's driveway. Ashby was ultimately charged with reckless driving, speeding 15+ MPH over the limit, driving left of center, and fleeing, all at the misdemeanor level. Ashby was also charged – in a separate case – with possession of an instrument of crime, DWI drugs, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
If the above description reads like a hacked-together collection of facts that collectively raise just as many questions as they answer, it's not you. Publicly available court records from the two separate misdemeanor cases, bizarrely from the same originating incident, reflect the following dispositions:
Case #1
Possession of crime instrument: dismissed, civil penalty
DWI drugs, 1st: not guilty (acquittal)
Paraphernalia: nolle prosequi
Sentence: "motion of direct verdict granted"
Case #2
Reckless driving: nolle prosequi
Speeding, 15+ over: nolle prosequi
Driving left of center: nolle prosequi
Fleeing (misdemeanor): nolle prosequi
Sentence: "no sentence info found"
Yet there was apparently a trial held in Case #2 on 9/22/20, and Ashby paid fines in Case #1.
After spending an unexpectedly long amount of time on the phone trying to chase down an arrest report that should have been easy to locate, all evidence points toward the case against Ms. Ashby having been sealed.
Just as interesting, I noticed that Trooper Kenya Campbell was subpoenaed in September 2020 as "Former Trooper Kenya Campbell."
Raising the obvious question: why "former?"
In Arkansas, all public employee evaluation records are generally secret. Even records of sustained police misconduct. Such records can only be released if (a) the employee was suspended or terminated (with finality), (b) the records in question formed a basis for the suspension or termination, and (c) the public has a compelling interest in records disclosure.
All of those conditions have to be met for any Arkansas disciplinary record to be disclosed. Consequently, nearly all reprimands, complaints, investigations – even commendations – are exempt from disclosure.
Fortunately (sort of) in this case we are looking for records associated with a possible termination. Earlier today I submitted the request. We'll see what turns up.
Arkansas court records don't reflect any cases involving Campbell after June 23, 2020. Also, minutes from a late-2015 meeting of the Arkansas State Police Commission tell an unusual story. Particularly in light of Campbell clearly having been employed in 2020:
"Colonel Bryant advised Recruit Kenya Campbell, 21 years old, during her initial EVOC Training; she failed to pass three of the courses. During the time frame of the initial training, she received individual training and was given numerous attempts to try to pass those parts of the driving course in Troop School. So I made the decision last week, last Thursday and Friday we gave her more remedial training along with another recruit by the name of Pettigrew. He passed all phases except the cone course and Thursday, they took him out and he passed the cone course. They also did some more training with Recruit Mitchell who had passed the cone course; they just felt he needed some more training on his driving. On Friday, they issued the cone course to Recruit Campbell close to 70 times to try to get her to pass the course and she could not pass the course. I had all driving instructors prepare memorandums describing what great lengths we went to try to get her to pass the driving course, the private instruction, the remedial training and they felt according to their memorandums she would be a liability to the Arkansas State Police.
I met with her personally this morning and again discussed with her what I am telling you as far as the documentation and I felt that in all good faith I could not give her keys to drive a State Police cruiser; I felt she would be a liability to herself and others. She chose not to resign, so I come to the Commission with the recommendation that we have to terminate Ms. Campbell. I hate that, but we have standards they must meet and we gave her training and more remedial training and she was not able to pass that course. After checking with the General Counsel, I think she would be a liability to the Arkansas State Police if we put her out on the road and she had an accident and hurt herself or others. My recommendation to the Commission is that we terminate Ms. Campbell." And they did.
More to come.
~~~
/r/realworldpolice
@realworldpolice
Patreon @ https://rwp.yt/join
On May 3, 2020, Arkansas State Police Trooper Kenya Campbell was on routine patrol, parked on I-40 West near mile marker 132, when a vehicle driven by a young woman, later identified as Kaelyn Marie Ashby, flew by her location at a high rate of speed. Trooper Campbell attempted to stop the vehicle, which instead accelerated away at speeds reaching 120 miles per hour. Ashby would later claim that she was not running from the police.
About four miles later, the pursuit ended in a random person's driveway. Ashby was ultimately charged with reckless driving, speeding 15+ MPH over the limit, driving left of center, and fleeing, all at the misdemeanor level. Ashby was also charged – in a separate case – with possession of an instrument of crime, DWI drugs, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
If the above description reads like a hacked-together collection of facts that collectively raise just as many questions as they answer, it's not you. Publicly available court records from the two separate misdemeanor cases, bizarrely from the same originating incident, reflect the following dispositions:
Case #1
Possession of crime instrument: dismissed, civil penalty
DWI drugs, 1st: not guilty (acquittal)
Paraphernalia: nolle prosequi
Sentence: "motion of direct verdict granted"
Case #2
Reckless driving: nolle prosequi
Speeding, 15+ over: nolle prosequi
Driving left of center: nolle prosequi
Fleeing (misdemeanor): nolle prosequi
Sentence: "no sentence info found"
Yet there was apparently a trial held in Case #2 on 9/22/20, and Ashby paid fines in Case #1.
After spending an unexpectedly long amount of time on the phone trying to chase down an arrest report that should have been easy to locate, all evidence points toward the case against Ms. Ashby having been sealed.
Just as interesting, I noticed that Trooper Kenya Campbell was subpoenaed in September 2020 as "Former Trooper Kenya Campbell."
Raising the obvious question: why "former?"
In Arkansas, all public employee evaluation records are generally secret. Even records of sustained police misconduct. Such records can only be released if (a) the employee was suspended or terminated (with finality), (b) the records in question formed a basis for the suspension or termination, and (c) the public has a compelling interest in records disclosure.
All of those conditions have to be met for any Arkansas disciplinary record to be disclosed. Consequently, nearly all reprimands, complaints, investigations – even commendations – are exempt from disclosure.
Fortunately (sort of) in this case we are looking for records associated with a possible termination. Earlier today I submitted the request. We'll see what turns up.
Arkansas court records don't reflect any cases involving Campbell after June 23, 2020. Also, minutes from a late-2015 meeting of the Arkansas State Police Commission tell an unusual story. Particularly in light of Campbell clearly having been employed in 2020:
"Colonel Bryant advised Recruit Kenya Campbell, 21 years old, during her initial EVOC Training; she failed to pass three of the courses. During the time frame of the initial training, she received individual training and was given numerous attempts to try to pass those parts of the driving course in Troop School. So I made the decision last week, last Thursday and Friday we gave her more remedial training along with another recruit by the name of Pettigrew. He passed all phases except the cone course and Thursday, they took him out and he passed the cone course. They also did some more training with Recruit Mitchell who had passed the cone course; they just felt he needed some more training on his driving. On Friday, they issued the cone course to Recruit Campbell close to 70 times to try to get her to pass the course and she could not pass the course. I had all driving instructors prepare memorandums describing what great lengths we went to try to get her to pass the driving course, the private instruction, the remedial training and they felt according to their memorandums she would be a liability to the Arkansas State Police.
I met with her personally this morning and again discussed with her what I am telling you as far as the documentation and I felt that in all good faith I could not give her keys to drive a State Police cruiser; I felt she would be a liability to herself and others. She chose not to resign, so I come to the Commission with the recommendation that we have to terminate Ms. Campbell. I hate that, but we have standards they must meet and we gave her training and more remedial training and she was not able to pass that course. After checking with the General Counsel, I think she would be a liability to the Arkansas State Police if we put her out on the road and she had an accident and hurt herself or others. My recommendation to the Commission is that we terminate Ms. Campbell." And they did.
More to come.
~~~
/r/realworldpolice
@realworldpolice
Patreon @ https://rwp.yt/join
