Charles City woman’s attack on tow truck driver nets guilty convictions

What was supposed to be a simple repossession of a vehicle transformed into a violent scene that resulted in convictions for a Charles City woman.

Carrie Fay Neal, 30, of the 6700 block of Church Lane, was found guilty on one count of malicious wounding and a reduced charge of misdemeanor destruction of property following a Jan. 19 contested trial in Charles City Circuit Court.

On June 1, 2017 just after 9 p.m., Duane Hardy went to Neal’s residence to pick up a vehicle belonging to Thomas Quigg, who was in a relationship with Neal. Hardy had received orders to repossess the vehicle. After hooking up the car, Hardy was walking to the door to speak with the resident to know what he was doing.

“That’s when she came out and began screaming obscenities to me,” Hardy testified. “She began to beat on the right side of my truck and tried to get inside the car and drive off with it.”

The tow truck driver made contact with Charles City Sheriff’s Office, advising him of his actions. After ending the original call, he heard a loud sound crashing on the back of his truck. It wasn’t until later he would notice a propane tank had been tossed on there.

But the scene escalated in violence. Neal began to throw rocks at the passenger side door, prompting Hardy to call the police once again, this time advising them that he had a pistol for protection and may have to use it. But Neal continued to attack the tow truck, making her way to the other side and launching a rock through the driver’s side window. That heave not only broke the glass, but struck Hardy in the face. Combined with the shattered glass, Neal received several lacerations and bruises along the left side of the face.

As Deputy Randy Douglas arrived at the scene, the defendant ran into the house and barricaded the door. With Hardy telling the officer that Neal had threatened to shoot him, the scene remained at a standstill for three hours before Deputy Scott Green was able to talk Neal out of the residence.
However, Neal’s rendition surrounding the facts of the case were different than what the prosecution presented.

“I went to ask if I could get some things out the truck and the driver said yeah,” testified Neal, who denied running and yelling obscenities at the time. “I took some stuff out the trunk as well.

“As I tried to shut the trunk, it wouldn’t and that’s when I knocked on the window to get the driver’s attention,” the defendant continued. “However, he began to pull away and he hit a blue Blazer and damaged it. If it wasn’t for that Blazer being there, he would have run me over and killed me.”

Neal said she urged Hardy to call the police due to the damage created by his truck hitting the Blazer. When it seemed like the driver was ignoring her, that’s when she admitted to throwing rocks.

“I was just tossing them up there, but I didn’t know where they were going,” Neal concluded.

But with no evidence that a Blazer existed in the yard at the time along with connecting testimony between the victim and the officer, Judge B. Elliott Bondurant explained his view of the situation.

“I got testimony from Mr. Hardy that you were yelling obscenities coming out the door and that was also confirmed by the officer,” Bondurant said. “Your want me to believe that he tried to run you over because you didn’t shut the trunk of the car being repossessed?

“It makes no sense to me and your story makes no sense and I find you guilty on the charges,” the judge concluded.

Formal sentencing for Neal is scheduled for Mar. 23.