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Prison for Man With H.I.V. Who Spit on a Police Officer
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The New York Times
5/16/2008
"A homeless man who spit in the mouth and eye of a police officer and then taunted him, saying he was H.I.V. positive, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday for harassing a public servant with a deadly weapon: his saliva.
"Because of the deadly weapon finding, the man, Willie Campbell, 42, of Dallas, will not be eligible for parole until he has served half his sentence.
"...The police reported that Mr. Campbell spat at an officer and said he had H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, as they struggled to move him to a squad car.
"...Lambda Legal, which advocates for people living with the virus, says saliva should not be considered a deadly weapon.
"'There's still an incredible amount of ignorance about H.I.V. and how H.I.V. is or isn't transmitted,' said Bebe Anderson, the organization's H.I.V. project director. 'It's regrettable.'"