Investigators said a North Carolina man pretended to be a doctor to lure a woman to his hotel room.
According to Alcoa Police Department Detective Sergeant Kris Sanders, Robert Levan McCollum, Jr., 50 of Davidson, was arrested early Monday morning after an encounter with a woman at the Marriot Courtyard hotel.
The woman told investigators that she answered an ad on Craigslist for a job as an office assistant. McCollum claimed he was relocating to Alcoa and needed to hire someone to run his new office.
The victim said the two met in the hotel lobby on Sunday to talk about the job. Then McCollum invited her to his room to continue the interview. In the room, she told police that McCollum poured her a drink, and 30 minutes later, she began feeling dizzy and disoriented. She said he tried to talk her into going to the bathroom to change into a t-shirt so he could examine her.
During this time, the victim's boyfriend became concerned for her safety because she'd been gone for so long. He searched the hotel, and eventually heard her voice through the room's door, which hadn't been closed completely.
He went into the room and got his girlfriend, then took her to UT Medical Center because of how she was feeling.
Sanders said before this incident, he'd heard from another woman with a similar story. That woman was not taken to a hotel room, but McCollum did tell her he was a doctor.
McCollum was charged with counts of impersonating a licensed professional.
Alcoa Police said there may be other potential victims, and with information is asked to call 865-380-4715.
