Prosecutors have said an American “spy” who fled the UK to the US after beating a British nurse is a “danger to the community” and have demanded he be taken into custody.
In a court appearance in Houston, Texas, 23-year-old Isaac Calderon was described as a “fugitive” and should not be released until his extradition case is concluded.
Prosecutors said Calderon posed a “flight risk” and had already demonstrated an “intent to evade prosecution” by failing to appear at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on December 1 to answer charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
It was said that allowing him out on bail while the extradition case is underway could “embarrass the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs” if he were to abscond.
The allegations were made ahead of a detention hearing on Friday in Houston, the U.S. equivalent of a bail hearing.
American citizen Isaac Calderon fled to the United States after beating Ms Donowho last year.
Elizabeth Donowho walks along the side of the road near where the accident occurred last year.
Isaac Calderon is an American soldier who is believed to have been visiting an SAS base at the time.
Calderon, a US soldier, is accused of colliding head-on with Elizabeth Donowho, 56, while driving on the wrong side of the road on the A4103 near Shucknall in Herefordshire on July 31 last year.
Mrs Donowho, from Malvern, Worcestershire, was unable to walk for six weeks and suffered a fractured sternum and two broken ankles.
Calderon is believed to have been visiting an SAS base in Herefordshire at the time of the crash. His occupation was given in court as “US soldier”.
West Mercia Police in England are said to have told Ms Donowho he was “associated with the Secret Service”.
UK police issued an arrest warrant for Calderon, who police described as a “potential flight risk,” before he left the UK on a flight to Houston on November 25.
British authorities have formally requested Calderon’s extradition and he was arrested last week.
In a court filing in Houston, prosecutors described Calderon as a “fugitive” from the law and said he should remain in custody until his extradition case is concluded.
They said the “serious nature of the dangerous driving offense” makes him a “danger to the community both here in the United States and abroad if he were released.”
In the document, prosecutors argued that Calderon posed a “flight risk given the strength of the case in the United Kingdom.”
Calderon “has virtually no incentive to appear at his extradition hearing” and there is a “significant” chance that he will be extradited, the document says.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman said, “Furthermore, Calderon has already demonstrated his intent to evade prosecution in this case.
‘When interviewed by (West Mercia) Police in the UK, Constable Watkins informed Calderon that criminal charges were being brought against him and asked him if he planned to remain in the UK.
‘Calderon stated that he had no plans to leave the country until March 2024. UK authorities subsequently sent a summons to Calderon’s UK address, instructing him to appear in court on the charges on 1 December 2023.
‘Despite his previous statements to PC Watkins, Calderon fled the UK on 25 November 2023, a week before his scheduled court appearance.
‘Accordingly, the granting of bail in any amount would not guarantee Calderon’s presence in court and would give rise to the possibility of embarrassing the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs.’
Mr. Hileman added: “The court should hold Calderon without bail because he is a danger to the community and a flight risk and because there are no special circumstances that would justify his release.”
The complaint filed in court in Texas alleges that Calderon admitted to West Mercia Police that his conduct was dangerous.
Ms Donowho was unable to walk for six weeks after the accident. She broke her sternum and both ankles (pictured right: screws in one of her ankles)
The A4103 at Shucknall, where nurse Elizabeth Donowho suffered serious injuries.
According to the complaint, he told officers who interviewed him that his driving was “definitely not safe” and when shown dashcam video of the incident filmed by another motorist, he said, “Holy crap.”
Witnesses said he was going 70mph in a 50mph zone and Calderon is said to have admitted he was vaping while driving his Honda Accord, saying he did not buy insurance and was unsure if he had an MOT.
He is said to have admitted to police that he had bought the vehicle just six days before the accident and had no previous experience driving a car with a manual gearbox.
And although he said he had been driving on UK roads in rental cars for three months before the accident, he reportedly admitted he was “not at all” familiar with road markings and traffic directions in the UK, saying: “I get confused by signs all the time.”
Calderon’s court-appointed lawyer has yet to respond to the prosecution’s claims.
His family did not respond to calls and text messages seeking comment.