Handcuff key found on boyfriend after bound woman fled to Fire Station 11
A day after a handcuffed woman fled with her 2-year-old boy to Fire Station No. 11 on Warms Springs Road, a Columbus police detective said a handcuff key fell out of Calvin Eugene Clopton’s pocket before he was charged with feticide, two counts of aggravated assault and other charges.
Clopton, 35, pleaded not guilty to a total of 12 charges, including 10 felonies and two misdemeanors in the assault that occurred sometime between 8 a.m. May 23 and 7 a.m. May 25 at an apartment near Miller and Warm Springs Road. Although Clopton’s attorney Robin King pointed out the suspect had no previous offenses, Recorder’s Court Judge Mary Buckner ordered Clopton held without bond in the Muscogee County Jail and bound all charges over to Superior Court.
Detective Wayne Fairbairn said the handcuffed woman and the child sought help at the fire station just before 7 a.m. on May 25. She told police that she had been held for two days inside the apartment with her live-in boyfriend, Clopton. Wearing only a pair of pants, the woman escaped with her child after Clopton fell asleep.
On the first day, the woman said her ankles were bound, she was choked and was in the handcuffs. She was given no food and very little water. The suspect threatened to kill the child with a hammer but changed his mind, because it would be too messy. The woman, who was pregnant, was struck with a metal pipe that police identified as a jack handle.
With sharp pains in her stomach, the woman pleaded with the man to get medical help because she was losing her child. She was denied help, she said, because the man felt that she would tell the authorities. The suspect hid the woman’s cell phone and tablet inside the apartment, preventing her from making any calls for help.
The woman said the suspect attempted to rape her but ended up throwing her into the bathtub.
On the second day, the woman said she wanted to spend one more day with her son. The suspect fell asleep overnight before further harm came to the woman and child.
Police found Clopton asleep at the apartment on May 26. He refused to make any statements to officers.
Other charges against Clopton included possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a crime, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of false imprisonment, criminal attempted rape, making terroristic threats, cruelty to children third degree and obstruction of a 911 call.
This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Handcuff key found on boyfriend after bound woman fled to Fire Station 11."