District Man Sentenced To 34-Year Prison Term For Attacking And Threatening Woman In Southeast Washington-Defendant Was On Parole At Time Of Attack-

     WASHINGTON - Clarence McCallum, 48, has been sentenced to a 34-year prison term on charges of kidnapping and felony threats stemming from an attack last year against an 18-year-old woman in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     McCallum, of Washington, D.C., has previously been convicted of violent offenses. He pled guilty in this case in October 2012 before he was to go on trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He subsequently moved to withdraw his plea, but that motion was denied last month. The Honorable Heidi M. Pasichow sentenced him on May 13, 2013. Upon completion of his prison term, McCallum will be placed on five years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, at about 9:30 p.m. on May 27, 2012, the victim was walking home from work when McCallum grabbed her from behind in the 1200 block of V Street SE.  He dragged her towards a nearby alley, at which point she managed to break free and run into the middle of the street.  When she pulled out her cellphone and told McCallum that she was going to call 911, he told her that he would "get" her and started walking away. 

     While on the phone with 911, the victim followed McCallum so that he would not get away. She was aided by a neighborhood Good Samaritan who, when informed of what had just happened, agreed to help follow the assailant. After more than 10 minutes of pursuit, all while the victim remained on the line with 911, McCallum slipped into an alley. When he came out on the other side, several minutes later, the Good Samaritan spotted him and pointed him out to the police. After a brief foot chase, McCallum was stopped and placed under arrest.

     At the time of the arrest, McCallum had been on parole for barely six weeks. He pled guilty in 1983, in two separate cases, to assault with intent to rape and rape while armed. He also pled guilty in 1984 in Prince George’s County, Md., to charges of kidnapping, robbery with a deadly weapon, and use of a handgun. Since his incarceration for those cases, he had been released on parole four times and had his release revoked four times, all following rearrests for assault-related conduct. 

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised those who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia, Paralegal Specialists Theresa Nelson and Ethel Noble, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Dillon of the Superior Court Homicide Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.