Williamson County Sheriff’s Department/Greg Goodman’s Facebook
A Tennessee private school administrator finds himself in a heap of hot water after being accused of a hit-and-run on a bicyclist. Marshall Grant Neely III, 58, is the prime suspect in a hit-and-run case at a federal park. The victim’s friend recorded the incident, which showed an SUV striking his friend with his vehicle and then driving off.
Neely was arrested Saturday night by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. According to authorities, the suspect is charged with felony reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to immediately notify of accident and failure to render aid, authorities say.
On July 8, 2017, 23-year-old Tyler Noe was riding his bicycle on the designated bike route with his friend Greg Goodman at the Natchez Trace Parkway National Park. Neely is accused of hitting Noe with his Volvo SUV and driving off at around 11 A.M.
Goodman recorded the entire incident via GoPro and posted it on Facebook:
“Three hours ago this person intentionally hit my friend Tyler Noe on Natchez Trace,” Goodman posted on Facebook. “We had a witness behind us who said he has seen this same Volvo try to hit someone else last week.”
“A black Volvo passing the bicyclists struck Noe causing serious but non-life threatening injuries. The Volvo’s driver failed to stop and left the scene. Goodman was wearing a camera and provided a video of the incident to investigators,” said an official from the Natchez Trace Parkway in a press release. “Parkway Rangers and Williamson County Sheriff’s Deputies identified Marshall Grant Neely III, 58, of Franklin, TN as the vehicle’s driver who left the scene.”
Neely is employed by the University School of Nashville. However, the school has since put Neely on a leave of absence until the case is resolved. If Neely is found guilty, he will likely be terminated for his position. The school made note of Neely’s arrest on their Facebook page:
“Marshall Neely served as dean of students at University School of Nashville before transitioning to a part-time role this summer. He also is parent of two alumni. As of today, USN has placed Mr. Neely on leave of absence while we investigate the circumstances. All other matters related to his employment are confidential. We appreciate the work of law enforcement on this matter and will cooperate fully with their investigation. Our thoughts are with the cyclist and his family as well as the Neely family during this difficult time.”
Neely has worked at the University School of Nashville since 1995.
Neely was released on $11,500 bail from the Williamson County Detention Center on Sunday. He could actually face more charges, including a federal offense. If found guilty of a felony, he could face 1 to 6 years in prison. If he is found guilty of three misnomer charges than he could potentially receive a 30 day sentence per offense. His charges include felony reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to immediately notify of accident and failure to render aid.
School’s out for Neely!
