An ex-cop who drove drunk into a Northeast Philly home was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in jail

A former city police officer who drove drunk last year and crashed through the front of a Northeast Philadelphia home — leaving the homeowner pinned under the car in her living room and killing her two dogs — was sentenced Monday to 11½ to 23 months in jail.

The penalty was imposed on Gregory Campbell by Common Pleas Court Judge Zachary Shaffer after a hearing at which the victim and her husband, who was also inside at the time of the crash, testified about an incident they said “destroyed” their lives.

“I was normal before this,” Anna Wakeman, 54, said through tears, telling Shaffer she’s had 11 surgeries and now takes 30 pills per day for medical issues, including a traumatic brain injury.

Her husband, Raymond Wakeman, said the crash was so sudden and violent he’s had trouble processing what happened. The Wakemans had been watching TV on the couch before Campbell slammed through their wall at 70 mph with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit.

“I saw it all, and that’s what destroyed me,” Raymond Wakeman said. “It ruined my life.”

Campbell apologized to the Wakemans, saying his decision to drive after a day of drinking in February 2021 — including at the bar at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 headquarters, down the street from the Wakemans’ home — was a “horrible mistake.”

“I am so sorry for everything I’ve put you and your family through,” Campbell said.

Shaffer called the case “devastating” and “so incredibly sad,” pointing out that had Campbell simply decided to use Uber that night, no one would have been in his courtroom for such a case.

“The reality is today, everyone in here is hurt,” Shaffer said.

The hearing marked what is likely to be the final chapter in the criminal case against Campbell, who was off-duty at the time of the crash on Feb. 6, 2021, but was fired shortly afterward.

Assistant District Attorney Lyandra Retacco asked Shaffer to impose a sentence of three to six years behind bars, while Campbell’s attorney, Steven Patton, asked the judge to sentence Campbell to a term of house arrest.

The judge’s decision to instead impose a sentence he said was within the guidelines for the crime left the Wakemans upset. Anna Wakeman said Campbell “got off’ too easily, and questioned whether he would have received similar treatment if he hadn’t worked as a police officer.

“I’m very unhappy with the sentence,” Anna Wakeman said after the hearing.

Prosecutors said Campbell had been drinking for hours before the crash, including at at a beef-and-beer fund-raiser for the family of a deceased colleague, and later at the FOP bar in Northeast Philadelphia.

When he left around 8:20 p.m., prosecutors said, he drove through a stop sign at 70 mph and with a blood alcohol level of 0.20 — more than twice the legal limit — then crashed into the Wakemans’ home on the 2800 block of Comly Road.

Anna Wakeman was dragged and pinned under Campbell’s Dodge Dart, causing serious injuries to her head, legs, lungs, and more, while Raymond was sent flying across the room. The couple’s two dogs died of injuries from the crash, and there was significant damage to their home.

Anna Wakeman on Monday tearfully held up a photo of her dogs during the hearing, and told Shaffer she and her husband have been unable to work as her medical bills have begun mounting and her insurance is set to expire.

Raymond Wakeman recounted walking over debris in his bare feet after the crash and trying to convince first responders that his wife, although pinned under the car, was still alive.

The couple has filed a civil suit against Campbell and the bars they say served him that night.

Shaffer cited that lawsuit when he described the terms of Campbell’s sentence, saying Campbell would be eligible for work release — and potentially house arrest in the future — so that he can continue earning wages to be contributed to any restitution in the civil case.

Still, he said Campbell would serve all 23 months of his sentence, followed by at least three years of probation.

Campbell, who remains free on bail, is scheduled to begin serving his sentence next month.