Georgia · Senoia, Coweta County · Crime & Courts

Travis Street Attack in Senoia, GA: Isaiah Phillips, 30, Charged With Sexual Battery, Battery and False Imprisonment, Coweta County

Police say a woman walking for exercise on Travis Street, near historic downtown Senoia, was grabbed from behind around 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, fought free and got away. Three days later, on Wednesday morning, Isaiah Jamal Phillips, 30, was arrested in Fayetteville and charged with battery, sexual battery and false imprisonment. He has been charged and not convicted.

By Kate Thompson Published Aug. 19, 2026, 1:50 p.m. ET 7 min read Charged · not convicted

Key facts

What: A woman walking for exercise was approached from behind, grabbed and subjected to an attempted sexual assault, the Senoia Police Department says. She fought free and the man fled, according to police
When: Around 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026
Where: Travis Street, between Clark Street and Bridge Street, near historic downtown Senoia, Coweta County, Georgia
Arrested: Isaiah Jamal Phillips, 30, on the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Fayetteville
Charges: Battery, sexual battery and false imprisonment. Charged, not convicted
Investigating: The Senoia Police Department, assisted in the arrest by the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Secret Service, per The Newnan Times-Herald
How he was found: Surveillance video. Investigators reviewed hundreds of hours of footage, police say
Status: In custody. No court date, bond, attorney or plea has been reported

What’s in this report

What happened on Travis Street in Senoia, GA?
Where was Isaiah Phillips arrested?
How did Senoia police identify a suspect?
What is Isaiah Phillips charged with?
Does Isaiah Phillips have a prior record?
What did Senoia police ask the public for?
What are Senoia residents saying about the attack?
What we don’t know yet
What else are people asking about the Senoia attack?

What happened on Travis Street in Senoia, GA?

A woman was walking for exercise on Travis Street, between Clark Street and Bridge Street near the historic downtown area of Senoia, around 10 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16. The Senoia Police Department says a man came up behind her, grabbed her and tried to sexually assault her. She fought free, and he ran.

That account comes from the department’s release, as reported by The Citizen, and it is carried in the same terms by FOX 5 Atlanta, WSB-TV and The Newnan Times-Herald.

“Thankfully this incredibly resilient person was able to fight free from the attacker who then fled the scene,” the department said in that release. It described the woman as a Senoia resident who was out walking for exercise.

Where was Isaiah Phillips arrested?

Isaiah Jamal Phillips, 30, was arrested on Wednesday morning in Fayetteville, in neighboring Fayette County. The Newnan Times-Herald describes the location as his Fayetteville residence; FOX 5 Atlanta describes it as his parents’ home and puts the arrest shortly after 8 a.m.

Senoia police Capt. Jason Ercole told the Times-Herald that Phillips was taken into custody without incident after a SWAT team ordered him to leave the home. FOX 5 Atlanta reports that U.S. Marshals and the Fayette County SWAT team ordered him out before he was taken into custody.

Ercole told the Times-Herald that Phillips has a previous criminal history, so “we wanted to use all available resources.” The paper reports that the Senoia department was assisted by the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Secret Service.

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How did Senoia police identify a suspect?

On video. The Times-Herald reports that Senoia investigators reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance footage; FOX 5 Atlanta reports that they went through dozens of cameras before finding, on Tuesday morning, footage that placed Phillips closer to the scene. Senoia police credited Flock cameras and other surveillance cameras with helping to identify him, FOX 5 Atlanta reports.

What police say that footage shows is the part that moved the case. Senoia police told FOX 5 Atlanta: “We were able to locate more video showing him closer to the scene, actually stalking our victim, driving behind her as she’s walking with the headlights off, following her down the street, turning onto the road that led to the scene of the attack.”

Ercole told the Times-Herald that the man followed the woman for 10 to 15 minutes, and that Phillips was identified as a suspect within 24 hours. Ercole said Phillips did not know the woman but worked in the area. The department has not said what that work was.

Ercole told the paper that Phillips neither admitted nor denied the allegations after his arrest, but acknowledged what officers put to him.

During the search itself, no description of the attacker beyond a male subject was released. Ercole told the Times-Herald that the department held it back because “it wasn’t detailed enough to be useful.”

What is Isaiah Phillips charged with?

Phillips is charged with battery, sexual battery and false imprisonment, according to the Times-Herald, FOX 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV.

He has been charged and not convicted. No plea has been reported, no court appearance has been reported, and no attorney has been named for him.

Does Isaiah Phillips have a prior record?

Ercole told The Newnan Times-Herald that Phillips has a history of sexual battery offenses. Each line below is his account, given to that paper.

In November 2023, Ercole said, Phillips was arrested by the Roswell Police Department for the same offense.
In June 2024, he said, Phillips was arrested by the Peachtree City Police Department on eight counts of sexual battery.
In July, he said, the Morrow Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest on another sexual battery charge.

Those are arrests and a warrant. No conviction, plea, dismissal or other outcome has been reported in any of them, and it has not been reported whether the Morrow warrant has been served. An arrest is an accusation, and none of the three has been reported as having reached a result.

WSB-TV reports that Phillips has a history of offenses dating back to 2023. FOX 5 Atlanta reports that he was previously arrested in neighboring Peachtree City in 2024, according to police.

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What did Senoia police ask the public for?

Before the arrest, the department called the investigation “all hands-on deck” and said it was using every available resource. Its release asked anyone who had been in or around downtown Senoia near the time of the attack to get in touch, and named the places it most wanted to hear about.

“If you were in the area of downtown, Senoia Post Office, RR Tracks, Gin Street Properties and saw anything you thought was odd or suspicious around this time or just prior to, please reach out to us,” the release said.

The contact given in that release was Detective Lt. James McCue, at 770-599-3256, Ext. 103.

What are Senoia residents saying about the attack?

WSB-TV reporter Michael Doudna spoke to people in Senoia on Monday, while the man was still being sought. Resident Misty Smith told the station: “People aren’t normally afraid to walk around or anything down here because it’s not known for crime.”

“It is frightening because we just don’t even think about that here,” Smith said. “It’s just not thought of.” WSB-TV reported that residents told the station they feel safe enough in Senoia that they do not often lock their doors.

What we don’t know yet

Whether Phillips has a lawyer. No attorney has been named for him.
Where he is being held, and whether bond has been set. No jail, bond amount or court date has been reported.
How the earlier cases ended. The outcomes of the November 2023 Roswell arrest, the June 2024 Peachtree City arrest and the July Morrow warrant have not been reported, and neither has whether the Morrow warrant was ever served.
What Phillips’s work in the area was. Ercole said he did not know the woman but worked in the area, and the department has not said in what capacity.

What else are people asking about the Senoia attack?

What happened on Travis Street in Senoia, GA?
The Senoia Police Department says a woman was walking for exercise on Travis Street, between Clark Street and Bridge Street near historic downtown Senoia, around 10 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, when a man came up behind her, grabbed her and tried to sexually assault her. Police say she fought free and the man fled the area.

Who has been arrested, and what is he charged with?
Isaiah Jamal Phillips, 30, was arrested on the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026 and is charged with battery, sexual battery and false imprisonment, according to The Newnan Times-Herald, FOX 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV. He has been charged and not convicted, and no plea or court appearance has been reported.

Where was Isaiah Phillips arrested?
In Fayetteville, in neighboring Fayette County. The Newnan Times-Herald describes the location as his Fayetteville residence, while FOX 5 Atlanta describes it as the home of his parents and puts the time shortly after 8 a.m. Capt. Jason Ercole told the Times-Herald that Phillips was taken into custody without incident after a SWAT team ordered him to leave the home.

How did Senoia police identify a suspect?
Through surveillance video. The Newnan Times-Herald reports that investigators reviewed hundreds of hours of footage, and FOX 5 Atlanta reports they went through dozens of cameras before finding video on Tuesday morning that placed Phillips closer to the scene. Senoia police credited Flock cameras and other surveillance cameras with helping to identify him, FOX 5 Atlanta reports. Capt. Jason Ercole said Phillips was identified as a suspect within 24 hours.

Does Isaiah Phillips have a prior record?
Capt. Jason Ercole told The Newnan Times-Herald that Phillips has a history of sexual battery offenses: an arrest by the Roswell Police Department in November 2023 for the same offense, an arrest by the Peachtree City Police Department in June 2024 on eight counts of sexual battery, and a warrant issued in July by the Morrow Police Department on another sexual battery charge. No conviction, plea or other outcome has been reported in any of them, and it has not been reported whether the Morrow warrant has been served.

Where is Isaiah Phillips being held, and when is his court date?
Neither has been reported. Where Phillips is being held, whether bond has been set, whether he has a lawyer and when he is due in court are all open. Phillips has been charged and not convicted, and no plea has been reported.

More Senoia, Newnan and Coweta County reports are collected on our Coweta County page, and Georgia crime and court coverage is on our Crime & Courts page.

Sources

The Newnan Times-Herald — the arrest, the charges, and Capt. Jason Ercole on the SWAT team, the assisting agencies, the video, the 10 to 15 minutes of following, the identification within 24 hours, the withheld description, and the November 2023 Roswell arrest, the June 2024 Peachtree City arrest and the July Morrow warrant.
FOX 5 Atlanta — the arrest shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday at his parents’ home, U.S. Marshals and the Fayette County SWAT team, the dozens of cameras and the Tuesday-morning video, the Flock cameras, and the police quotation describing what the video shows.
WSB-TV, by Courtney Martinez — the Sunday-night attack on Travis Street near historic downtown Senoia, the charges, the history of offenses dating back to 2023, and Michael Doudna’s Monday interviews including Misty Smith.
The Citizen — the Senoia Police Department release: the time and date, Travis Street between Clark Street and Bridge Street, the quotation about her fighting free, the “all hands-on deck” description, the appeal naming the Senoia Post Office, the railroad tracks and Gin Street Properties, and the contact for Detective Lt. James McCue.

Reported and fact-checked as of 1:50 p.m. ET on August 19, 2026.

Every source linked here was opened and verified at that time. This report reflects what was known and confirmed at that moment and is not updated automatically as a story develops. For the current status of an active investigation, contact the agency named above.

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