Phillip Branum
Phillip Branum, 32, was arrested on Wednesday after stealing a truck in Soddy Daisy.
At approximately 7:40 a.m., a resident called 911 to report someone breaking into their truck in the 9800 block of Hamby Road.
The victim provided a suspect description and his direction of travel. This information was relayed to deputies who began saturating the area.
At 7:48 a.m., deputies spotted the suspect, later identified as Branum, of Soddy Daisy, walking along Hamby Road. Branum was apprehended after a short foot chase and altercation.
It was found Branum had broken into the victim’s vehicle and removed the ignition switch in an effort to steal the vehicle.
Branum was transported to the Hamilton County Jail where he was booked on charges of attempted auto theft, burglary of an automobile, possession of burglary tools, vandalism, and resisting arrest
Sheriff Austin Garrett said, “For the past three days, your HCSO deputies have been braving frigid temperatures and inclement weather to respond to calls for service across this county in order to keep our community safe during the extreme challenges associated with this winter weather event. While we know crime will never go away, it is extremely infuriating to know that even during a serious weather-related situation such as this, thieves will still choose to victimize others. We should all be looking to our community’s best interest and helping one another rather than endangering the lives of our law enforcement personnel who are working hard to ensure the safety of our citizens. I am proud of our deputies’ actions and our agency’s resiliency responding to this storm and continuing to stop crime across this county.”