FORT MEADE, Fla. – The vice mayor of Fort Meade was arrested Tuesday morning after Polk County detectives say she was harassing another woman and accusing the victim of having an affair with her husband.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the victim had previously contacted law enforcement in the past after receiving calls from Fort Meade Vice Mayor Maurice Nelson Campbell but declined to press charges. However, overnight on Feb. 8 the victim told deputies Campbell called her more than a half-dozen times and left three threatening voicemails.
In one voicemail, Campbell ended her message with a similar line to what someone would hear at the end of a political advertisement.
“And this is Maurice Campbell and I approve this (expletive) message, and you can believe that,” deputies said Campbell told the victim.
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Campbell threatened to beat the victim calling her a “trifling,” “stinking” (expletive), according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The vice mayor was arrested Tuesday on charges of aggravated stalking and booked into the Polk County Jail.
Judd said Campbell and the victim have known eachother for years and the harassment has been an ongoing issue. The victim told detectives she never had a relationship with Campbell's husband but the city official has believed this for several years.
"The victim has put up with this harassment for quite some time, and she finally reached a breaking point,” Judd said. “This is not proper behavior for anyone, let alone an elected official. Leaving the voicemails, especially one that sounded like the end of a campaign commercial, wasn't good judgment either."
Campbell represents Precinct 517 on the Fort Meade City Commission in addition to her role as vice mayor. Her term expires in January 2020.
News 6 has reached out to Fort Meade city officials for comment.