Authorities say a Yellville Arkansas man has been arrested on kidnapping and six other charges in Stone County.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred on Friday, July 15, when the Mountain View Police Department received a call from Walmart informing them that a female was inside the restroom in the store claiming that she had been abducted.
The suspect, identified as Chipper Wade Statum, age 23, was waiting on the female victim to come out of the restroom when authorities took him into custody.
The female stated to authorities what had happened to her, and how and why she was kidnapped.
During an argument, the suspect had forced her into his vehicle to go with him to Batesville to pick up his pay check from a chicken processing plant.
The female was subjected to aggravated assault including the suspect choking her until she lost consciousness after refusing to go with the suspect, the court information said.
During the series of events leading to her hiding in the Walmart restroom, the female said she suffered personal injuries when Statum kicked her, struck her in the head, pulled a handful of hair from her head, and choked her.
Statum is also accused of terroristic threatening when he told the victim that he was going to “slit her throat and throw her out of the car going 80 miles per hour.”
The court documents stated Statum told the victim “good luck calling for help because I have broken your phone, and threw it into the woods.” Authorities have charged Statum with three felonies: kidnapping, aggravated assault on a household member, and terroristic threatening. The four misdemeanors were domestic battery in the third degree, violation of an order of protection, and interference with emergency communications in the first degree.
Statum’s bond was set at $300,000.