Isaiah Ray McCallumA man sought on a number of charges, including kidnapping and aggravated domestic assault, is finally in custody at the Hamilton County Jail after avoiding arrest for 11 days.
Isaiah Ray McCallum, 28 and one of Hamilton County's Top 12 Most Wanted fugitives, is accused of physically assaulting a woman, leaving her with a possible broken wrist and barely clothed.
A call to 911 was made at 2:15 a.m. on May 11 after the woman, dressed only in undergarments, showed up on foot in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 2400 block of 15th Avenue, crying for help.
"Help me, somebody please help me," she cried. Tenants who heard her pleas rushed to help, one woman even getting her a change of clothes as she waited for police to arrive.
The crying woman, appearing terrified and crouching between parked vehicles, said a man was chasing her.
Chattanooga police arrived at 2:31 a.m. and spoke to the woman, who told them she was at a bar with McCallum earlier that night, according to Hamilton County Court records. While there, he became angry and they eventually left the venue together.
On the drive back to his house, McCallum became increasingly angry and grabbed the woman by her throat "until she could no longer breathe," court records state. He then opened the car door and threw her from the moving vehicle.
But a man saw that incident take place, so McCallum stopped and picked the woman up, placed her back in his vehicle and continued driving back to his house, court records state.
The woman tried to call police while McCallum drove, but he took her phone from her and broke it so she couldn't call anyone, according to court records.
When they finally arrived at his home in the 2200 block of Elder Street, McCallum grabbed the woman by her throat again.
She told police she thought he "was going to kill her," court records state.
She tried to escape, she said, but he grabbed her by the arm and hand and then forced "[the woman] to punch him to make it look like he was a victim," according to court records.
"After an extended struggle, [the woman] was able to escape from Mr. McCallum, but during the struggle all of [her] clothing was removed," court records state.
Police noted redness, swelling and bruising in the shape of hand prints around her neck. She also had a road rash on the right side of her body, a result of being thrown from the moving vehicle, court records state. There was also a cut on her right elbow and forearm, and she told police she thought her wrist may have been broken. It did show redness and minor swelling, police noted.
She refused an ambulance, but since she didn't have any transportation, she asked police to take her to the hospital.
After taking the woman to the hospital, police tried to make contact with McCallum, but he was not home.
He was finally located and arrested on Tuesday in Catoosa County, Georgia, with the help of local and federal law enforcement, Chattanooga police said. He was extradited to the Hamilton County Jail and booked on Wednesday evening.
McCallum is charged with kidnapping, interference with emergency calls, aggravated domestic assault and vandalism under $1,000 (a result of breaking her phone). His bond was initially set at $60,000, but online jail records show he is being held without bond.
McCallum has an arrest history in Hamilton County dating back to 2011, according to online court records. Most of his charges are traffic violations, including DUI, a charge that was ultimately dismissed. But he also has a charge for passing bad checks and assault, for which he served an 11-month, 29-day suspended sentence, meaning he did not serve jail time.
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