2010 homicides* Jan. 2 – Jimmy Yearby, 40Source: Chattanooga Police Department
Chattanooga police say a Lookout Valley man dragged his girlfriend to death after her milelong struggle to hold on to the tailgate of his pickup truck.
“It’s the first dragging death I’ve seen that we’ve worked,” said Lt. Tim Carroll, head of the Chattanooga Police Department’s major crimes division. “And I’ve been in homicide for 20 years.”
A pedestrian’s call led police to the 3200 block of Cummings Highway about 9 p.m. Wednesday. Investigators say 36-year-old John Thomas White drove the vehicle that ran over the 27-year-old woman. The victim’s name will not be released until next of kin can be notified, police said.
Police charged Mr. White with criminal homicide, and more charges are pending following a full investigation.
Mr. White acted “nonchalant” when he was apprehended by police, said Sgt. Bill Phillips, head of the Chattanooga Police Department’s homicide division.
According to statements taken from witnesses at Critters Bar, Mr. White arrived at the bar sometime after 8:30 p.m. to meet with his girlfriend. The two started arguing, and Mr. White left the bar, followed by his girlfriend, who attempted to jump in the back of his moving truck as he drove away.
Lt. Carroll said one of the bar’s patrons noticed the disturbance and followed the couple outside the bar. The witness followed Mr. White’s truck down Cummings Highway and flashed his lights to no avail, Lt. Carroll said.
Police said the woman held onto the vehicle for a little more than a mile before she lost her grip. Investigators say the rear of the truck eventually pinned her as Mr. White continued driving after she fell.
“This sort of thing used to shock me, but nothing does anymore,” Lt. Carroll said. “It’s amazing what human beings can do to another human being. He could have stopped.”
Lt. Carroll said one of the department’s DUI officers said Mr. White smelled somewhat intoxicated, but results from blood tests will take several weeks.
Mr. White pled guilty to a 2006 methamphetamine charge along with two charges of reckless endangerment in 2005, according to Hamilton County Criminal Court records.
Before the incident, Mr. White drove to his residence at 20 West End Ave. and argued with his sister Gail White, Lt. Carroll said.
She fled the home and flipped her car at 18 West End Ave., just a short distance away. Her condition is unknown.