Mississippi man steals police officers patrol car and crashes into pole

02/03/05 Associated Press


HERNANDO, Miss. - A Hernando man arrested in the death of a Southaven woman in an accident during a high-speed race in October has been indicted on a manslaughter charge.

The grand jury indictment against Timothy McNeely was made public this week.

McNeely, 20, and Jerrod Free, 19, of Horn Lake, were racing on Goodman Road near Interstate 55 on Oct. 6 at speeds that exceeded 100 mph when Laura Ann Magill's vehicle was struck by Free's Ford Mustang on the driver's side, authorities said.

Magill, 57, was killed on impact.

Two passengers in Free's car were injured in the crash. Free and McNeely were both charged with one count of manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault.

Magill, a mother of four and grandmother of nine, was leaving a restaurant parking lot when the incident occurred.

McNeely also faces charges of resisting arrest and the theft of a police cruiser after being stopped by police in December. McNeely was out of bond when he was stopped for allegedly possessing a control substance.

McNeely attempted to steal the arresting officer's patrol car, driving it a short distance before crashing into a pole, authorities said.

Circuit Judge Bobby Chamberlin revoked McNeely's $150,000 bond on the October charges following McNeely's arrest in December. He is being held in the county jail awaiting a trial date.

Back

Information from: DeSoto Times Today