According to court documents, DuBois-based State Police filed criminal charges on Wednesday, May 11, against 39-year-old James Anthony Neal, of Reynoldsville, in Magisterial District Judge David B. Inzana’s office.
According to the criminal complaint, on Saturday, February 19, DuBois-based State Police received a report of an active domestic situation near a disabled vehicle in a parking lot along State Route 830, near the intersection of Crawford Lane and Anderson Drive, in Washington Township, Jefferson County.
At approximately 5:58 p.m. on February 19, police observed a vehicle in the parking area, which matched the description of the disabled vehicle – a gold 2002 Ford F-150 with two flat front tires.
Upon arrival, police approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and spoke with the operator, later identified as James Anthony Neal. Neal told police he was waiting on a friend to help with his vehicle. A known woman was in the front seat and two juvenile children were in the back seat during the incident, the complaint indicates.
Neal was asked to exit the vehicle so a PSP trooper could “get his side of the story” while another trooper interviewed the known woman. Neal exited the vehicle and was patted down for weapons, the complaint notes.
Neal told police he was driving “around a corner too fast and ended up with two flat tires.” Neal said he pulled into the parking area due to the flat tires, and then an individual came to offer help. He also related the individual soon “took off” and was not sure why they left. Neal could not go into much detail when answering questions and was slow/sluggish to respond. He also had an odor of marijuana and alcohol emanating from his person, the complaint states.
Troopers asked Neal if he was under the influence of anything, and Neal replied he has his medical marijuana card and that he smoked marijuana a couple of hours ago, the complaint indicates.
Neal admitted to having a “couple of drinks,” but he said there would not currently be any alcohol in his system. He agreed to submit to a preliminary breath test (PBT), which returned a result of 0.088%. He then said he was drinking “Red’s” and stated he had two just a couple of hours ago. He also told police that alcohol consumption probably played a role in why he went off the road prior to the troopers’ arrival, according to the complaint.
Neal was subsequently taken into custody for suspicion of DUI, the complaint notes.
Police then transported Neal to Penn Highlands DuBois for a chemical blood draw and then transported him back to PSP DuBois for processing.
While at PSP DuBois, Neal became combative, and troopers had to restrain him. Soon after, Neal threw a box of supplies that were laying near the bench he was handcuffed to, the complaint states.
Neal displayed mood swings, which were later verified by his current girlfriend. She said his “current medications and excessive alcohol consumption are to blame,” the complaint indicates.
Neal was not processed or fingerprinted on this date due to an officer safety issue. He eventually calmed down and became apologetic over the situation, the complaint notes.
On April 12, 2022, police received the toxicology report, which showed positive findings for the following substances in Neal’s blood:
– Ethanol
– Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) 0.092
– Hydroxy Delta (active metabolite of a Schedule 1 drug)
– Delta-9 Carboxy THC (inactive metabolite of a Schedule 1 drug)
– Delta-9 THC (active ingredient of a Schedule 1 drug)
He faces the following charges:
– Endangering Welfare of Children – Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Misdemeanor 1 (two counts)
– DUI/Unsafe Driving, Misdemeanor
– DUI/BAC .08%-10%, Misdemeanor
– Driving Under Influence of Alcohol/Controlled Substance, Misdemeanor (three counts)
– Careless Driving, Summary
– Disorderly Conduct Hazardous/Physical Offense, Summary
A preliminary hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 14, with Judge Inzana presiding.