Arthur Calloway Sr., 41, was arrested near the intersection of Highway 350 and FM 700 at approximately 9 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of kidnapping after law enforcement officials say he abducted a local woman from a halfway house in 1700 block of Highway 350.

According to Sheriff Stan Parker, the story that has unfolded since then has been anything short of clear.

“In our initial reports, we were under the impression the victim was the ex-girlfriend of Calloway's son, who was being held at the county jail at the time of the abduction,” said Parker. “Since then, however, we've discovered the former relationship was instead between the victim and Calloway Sr.”

The victim, 18-year-old Angelea Nicole Cortez, was recovered minutes after her abduction from the Highway 350 residence.

“After talking to all of the witnesses, it appears Calloway showed up to try to rekindle some sort of romance between himself and Cortez,” said Parker. “When Cortez didn't respond the way he wanted, he just decided she needed to go with him, whether she wanted to or not.”

According to investigators, Calloway then pushed Cortez into a Suddenlink cable company van.

“My understanding is Calloway works for Suddenlink, but we're still verifying everything,” said Parker, who added, “Cortez suffered only minor injuries during the altercation. However, the injuries were consistent with being forcibly detained.”

Approximately 20 minutes after the abduction, Calloway's Suddenlink van was spotted near the intersection of Highway 350 and FM 700, where he was taken into custody and Cortez was rescued.

Parker said several HCSO deputies responded to the kidnapping report, as well as officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

While the motivation for the kidnapping has been illuminated, Parker said it doesn't bring him or investigators any closer to understanding it.

“She obviously didn't want a relationship with the suspect,” said Parker. “Why someone would do something like that is beyond me. You would think that would tell someone it's time to go out and find a new girlfriend.”

Calloway remains in the custody of the Howard County Jail, according to law enforcement officials.

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it