Suspect in Pleasant Hill homicide turns himself in

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A man is in custody in connection to a homicide that took place in early July.

On July 2, around 1:30 a.m., officers with the police department responded to a residence at the 100 block of of Pleasant Hill Court. Family members discovered the victim, identified as 33-year-old Joseph Webb of Peach County deceased at the home, then notified law enforcement.

Webb was reported missing to the Peach County Sheriff’s Office the day before. The police department believed Webb and the suspect knew each other.

The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Jonathan Campen of Midway, Georgia, turned himself in to the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office on July 8 on open warrants. Campen will face charges of Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault.

Police Chief John Wagner said that historically suspects turning themselves in are a rarity.

“That’s rare, but we also can use social media and the information that we put out there, that we know is getting to the suspect, sometimes they’ll make their way in here.”

Once Campen turned himself in, Chief Wagner said the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office and the Police Department openly communicated with each other.

“We would do the same thing for them,” Wagner said. “We have a duty to make sure that if someone comes in and says they’re going to turn themselves in on a warrant, especially on a murder warrant, [the Sheriff’s Office] has to bring them in. Or they’d certainly be in trouble. This law enforcement agency was professional, and they did exactly what they were supposed to do, and took it serious, and when they checked his name, lo and behold, it was there.”

Chief Wagner said it boiled down to cooperation in the law enforcement community.

“We all work together. We’re on the same team. We wear different uniforms, but we’re all on the same team,” Wagner said.

Chief Wagner also praised the community for their involvement in this case, and added that keeping them safe is the Police Department’s top priority.

“We do our best to keep the community safe,” Wagner said. “They are also our ears and our eyes. We certainly don’t want to see murders in our community, and we take them very serious, just like all these cases, we take them serious and they’ve come to fruition and we’ve made arrests.”

Campen is currently housed at the Houston County Detention Facility. The case is still under investigation. Anyone with more information is encouraged to call Detective Chad Pierce or Detective Scott Nix at (478) 302-5380 or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

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