29-year-old Troy Melum was charged with aggravated assault and violating bail conditions after he choked and struck his ex-girlfriend before he was found in her neighbor’s yard in the nude.
On September 24th, Shelby County Sherrif’s Deputy Young was dispatched to 5956 Beauvoir Drive regarding a domestic situation. The deputy made contact with Melum’s ex-girlfriend, Jessica Neal who told officers that Melum came by earlier that evening to discuss their relationship issues. She informed them that he had been drinking and became irate, destroying things. Neal told police that Melum flipped a table, threw several items, and then struck her in the face multiple times. She fell back into a chair, where Melum got on top of her, wrapping both his hands around her neck and she began to lose consciousness. Neal woke up to Melum dragging her across the floor, managed to escape out the front door, and called for help.
By the time deputies had arrived on the scene, Melum was gone. They observed that Neal had multiple injuries including bite marks, a busted lip, and possibly a broken nose. While searching the surrounding area, Deputy Roberson located Melum, nude, in the side yard of a nearby house. He was observed to be unsteady on his feet with slurred speech. Deputies also noticed that Melum had previously been involved in a physical domestic with Neal and was currently out of jail on domestic bond conditions. Neal was transported to Methodist North for medical treatment.
Troy Melum was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor violation of bail conditions. His bond was set at $10,000.
