The Poinsett County case began with a March shift at a Trumann recycling business and led to a first-degree battery charge.
TRUMANN, Ark. — A man burned during a shift at a Trumann recycling business suffered second- and third-degree burns, a fractured rib and bruising before police charged his co-worker in the blowtorch attack, investigators said.
The injuries are at the center of the first-degree battery case against Joshua Warren Campbell, 37, who worked with the victim at Metal Man Recycling. Police said the March 23 burning was not a routine workplace accident. An affidavit described a metal-cutting torch, a fall to the floor, a witness who thought the victim was dead and a recorded statement about a $100 moped debt. Campbell has posted a $10,000 bond after being booked in Poinsett County.
The victim’s back was the main burn site, according to the affidavit. Investigators said the flame struck him while he and Campbell were working at the recycling facility. The man threw himself down or fell to the ground after catching fire, and the fall caused a fractured rib and bruising to his leg. The burns required surgery and a skin graft, police said. No public report has identified the hospital that treated him or the length of his recovery. Police also have not released his name, age or work history at the facility.
The severity of the wounds helped shape the legal response. First-degree battery cases often turn on whether the accused caused serious physical injury, and the affidavit described harm that went well beyond a minor burn. A skin graft usually signals that damaged skin could not heal with basic treatment alone. Investigators did not give a medical prognosis, but they recorded the burn level and related injuries in the court paperwork. That medical detail moved the case from a workplace confrontation into a criminal investigation that required interviews, records and review of a witness video.
The account given to police by the injured worker added a second layer to the case. During an interview at the Trumann Police Department, he said he learned Campbell and another employee had talked about “jumping” him before the burn occurred. Investigators have not said when that conversation allegedly happened or who heard it directly. The victim also told police that another man had recorded Campbell admitting he burned him on purpose. That information sent Detective Garrett Woods of the Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office to the witness, who provided a video that police said captured Campbell discussing the incident.
The witness described the scene in stark terms. He told Woods that when he saw the injured worker on the floor, he could see the man’s back was burned and thought the victim was dead. The affidavit did not say whether the witness was also an employee, how soon he arrived after the flame touched the victim or who called for medical help. His video, however, became part of the probable cause record. Police said Campbell could be heard on it saying the victim owed another employee’s father $100 for a moped.
Investigators said Campbell also expressed regret in the recording. Woods wrote that Campbell said he “felt bad for it” and “wished it was the other way around.” The affidavit also quoted Campbell as saying the victim did not deserve that kind of “karma” and that the injury must have hurt. Police treated the statements as important because they tied the burning to the debt dispute and suggested Campbell understood the injury. The public reports do not include a full transcript of the recording, and the video itself has not been released in the reports reviewed.
The alleged dispute was small in dollar amount but serious in result. Police said the $100 at issue was linked to a moped and was owed to the father of another employee, not directly to Campbell. That claim has not been tested in court. The affidavit does not explain who owned the moped, when any transaction happened or why Campbell allegedly became involved. It also does not say whether the other employee was present during the burning, whether he gave a statement or whether police consider him a witness, suspect or unrelated party.
Campbell was booked into the Poinsett County Detention Center on April 20 after a judge found probable cause for one count of first-degree battery. The booking came about four weeks after the incident. Reports later said he was released after posting $10,000 bond. A court date was not immediately available in the public reporting, and the record reviewed did not show whether Campbell had entered a plea. The charge is an accusation, and the case must still proceed through the court system before any finding of guilt.
Trumann is in Poinsett County in northeast Arkansas, where small industrial sites and recycling yards are part of the local work landscape. Metal Man Recycling was identified by investigators as the workplace where both men were on the job. The affidavit’s description of a metal-cutting blowtorch placed the alleged weapon within the ordinary tools of that setting. In a criminal case, that detail matters because a tool designed to cut metal can become a dangerous instrument when turned toward a person. Police did not say whether the torch was seized as evidence.
The case also turns on what remains unknown. Public reports do not say whether the business had internal safety footage, whether supervisors were present, whether the men had prior conflicts or whether emergency responders documented the scene before investigators arrived. The affidavit links the injury, the victim’s interview, the witness video and the alleged debt, but it does not answer every question about the moments before the burn. Those gaps could be addressed through discovery, witness testimony or additional filings if prosecutors move forward.
For now, the known timeline starts with the March 23 shift, moves through the victim’s medical treatment and police interviews, and reaches the April 20 booking. The next stage belongs in court, where prosecutors can present medical records, witness statements and the video described in the affidavit. Campbell’s release on bond means he is out of custody while the charge is pending, unless a judge changes the conditions of release.
As of May 20, the victim’s name and current condition had not been made public. Campbell remained charged with first-degree battery in connection with the March 23 burning at Metal Man Recycling, and a future court date had not been listed in the public reports reviewed.
Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.