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Nashville hotel manager David Patrick Neal was arrested on Friday, May 5, for allegedly sucking a guest's toes while the latter was sleeping. The manager has reportedly been charged with aggravated burglary and assault. According to KATV, at the time of his arrest, 52-year-old David Patrick Neal was working at the Hilton Nashville.
Trigger warning: This article concerns mentions of assault, reader discretion is advised.
The guest involved in the incident has since filed a lawsuit against Hilton, stating that he was assaulted by David Patrick Neal. Law&Crime reported that it is unclear whether or not Neal has an attorney for either the criminal case or the civil lawsuit.
What did the investigation reveal about David Patrick Neal?
Authorities claimed that the Hilton assault incident showed signs of planning. David Patrick Neal is accused of cloning the victim's keycard, before entering his room on March 30. The victim told officers that he woke up to the then-night manager sucking on his toes, adding that he recognised Neal from the day before, when the latter had come to his room to fix his television.
The victim said that in response, he shouted, before immediately informing the authorities. Neal reportedly left the room, before disposing of the key in an undisclosed location. He claimed that he had entered the room because he smelled smoke.
However, when speaking to the police, Neal's colleagues said that he had not informed them about the smell of smoke, or the need to check the guest's room. The arrest report noted that no one else in the hotel had smelled smoke.
The guest responded to the incident:
“All my life you just have that sense of security, and that sense of peace, right? It’s not like you’re camping and you have to kind of keep one eye open. You have that security that’s yours, and when you close your eyes, you feel like you’re safe and you’re protected and it was a complete violation."
As reported by Michael Fisher, the victim's attorney, David Patrick Neal has an extensive criminal history. The former added:
“Multiple charges of forgery, drinking and driving, a manslaughter conviction as well, which served prison time."
He continued:
"When Hilton hired this person, they had to have known. They have to do background checks to know, and the fact that they would put somebody like that in a position where they have the ability to clone keys, have the ability to get into a guest’s room.”
Nashville NBC reported that the most serious charge against Neal, manslaughter, stems from a 1996 incident in which he fatally shot his then roommate.
Neal was taken into custody on Friday and is being held on a $27,000 bond. The Hilton Hotel chain reported that their employees will assist in the investigation.
