American ‘spy’, 23, who fled to the US from the UK after hitting a British nurse, 56, is a ‘danger to the community’, prosecutors say as they demand he be remanded in custody

Prosecutors claim the American “spy” who fled to the US from the UK after beating a British nurse is a “danger to the public” and are calling for him to be remanded in custody.

In a criminal complaint filed in a Houston, Texas, court, Isac Calderon, 23, was labeled a “fugitive” who cannot be released until his extradition case is resolved.

Prosecutors said Calderon posed a “flight risk” and had already shown “intent to evade prosecution” by failing to appear at Kidderminster Crown Court on December 1 to answer a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

If he were released on bail while the extradition case is pending, it could “embarrass the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs,” it was claimed.

The allegations came ahead of a detention hearing on Friday in Houston, the U.S. equivalent of a bail hearing.

Elizabeth Donowho walks along the side of the road near the spot where the accident occurred last year

Isac Calderon is an American soldier who is believed to have visited 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 broken sternum and two broken ankles.

Calderon was said to have been visiting an SAS base in Herefordshire at the time of the crash. His occupation was given in court as ‘American soldier’.

West Mercia police in England are said to have told Ms Donowho he had ‘connections with the Secret Service’.

British police issued an arrest warrant for Calderon, who was labeled a potential “flight risk” by police, before he left the United Kingdom on a flight to Houston on November 25.

British authorities have now formally requested Calderon’s extradition and he was arrested last week.

In a document filed in Houston court, prosecutors described Calderon as a “fugitive” and said he should remain in custody until his extradition case is concluded.

They said the “serious nature of the dangerous driving” made him a “danger to the community in the United States and abroad if he were released.”

In the document, prosecutors argued that Calderon posed a “flight risk given the seriousness of the case in the United Kingdom.”

Calderon has “virtually no reason to appear at his extradition hearing” and there is a “significant” chance he will be extradited, the document said.

Assistant District Attorney Jay Hileman said, “Furthermore, Calderon has already demonstrated that he intends to evade prosecution in this case.

‘When interviewed by (West Mercia) police in the UK, PC Watkins informed Calderon that criminal charges were being laid against him and asked him if he intended to remain in the UK.

Calderon stated that he did not plan to leave the country until March 2024. British authorities then sent a summons to Calderon’s UK address, ordering him to appear in court on December 1, 2023, to face the charges.

‘Despite his previous statements to Officer Watkins, Calderon fled the United Kingdom on November 25, 2023, one week before his scheduled court appearance.

“Granting bail in any form would therefore not guarantee Calderon’s presence in court and would risk 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 there are no special circumstances that warrant his release.”

The complaint filed in Texas court alleges that Calderon admitted to West Mercia police that his behavior was dangerous.

Mrs. Donowho was unable to walk for six weeks after the crash. She broke her sternum and both ankles (right in the photo: screws in one of her ankles)

The A4103 at Shucknall where nurse Elizabeth Donowho was seriously injured

According to the complaint, he told officers who questioned him that his driving was “absolutely not safe.” When shown dashcam video of the incident, filmed by another motorist, he said, “S***.”

Witnesses said he was driving 112 km/h in a 80 km/h zone. Calderon reportedly admitted to vaping while driving his Honda Accord. He had no insurance and was unsure whether the car had passed its MOT.

He reportedly admitted to police that he had only purchased the sedan six days before the accident and that he had no experience driving a car with a manual transmission.

He said he had been driving hire cars on British roads for three months before the accident, but admitted he was ‘not at all’ familiar with UK road markings and driving instructions. He said: ‘I get confused with the signs all the time.’

Calderon’s court-appointed attorney has yet to respond to the prosecution’s allegations.

His family did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking comment.