Darlington man sentenced to 35 years in domestic violence case

A Darlington man was sentenced to 35 years in jail for hitting a woman in the head with a heavy object, then throwing her daughter from a moving motorcycle, 4th Circuit Assistant Solicitor Patti McKenzie said.

Curtis Nealey of 1440 Pebble Dr. was convicted Tuesday on two counts of assault and battery with intent to kill,  criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, kidnapping and possession of a weapon during the commission of violent crime after a two-day trial in Darlington County, she said.

Fourth Circuit Court Judge Michael Baxley sentenced Nealey to 20 years in prison for each count of assault and battery with intent to kill.

He received a 10-year sentence for the criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature charge and a 30-year sentence for the kidnapping charge.

Those sentences will run concurrent and are to be followed by a five-year sentence for the charge of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, McKenzie said.

Kidnapping and assault and battery with intent to kill are consider violent and most serious crimes, she said.

Because of this, the defendant will be required to serve 85 percent of his jail time before he is eligible for parole. 

Nealey was spending time with his ex-girlfriend at her East Home Avenue home on Oct. 14,2008 when things turned violent and he attacked her just before midnight, she said. 

Her mother tried to intervene but Nealey picked up a heavy ceramic object and hit her on the head with it, McKenzie said.

He then forced his ex-girlfriend at knife point to leave the house with him.

The two were riding on his motorcycle on Billy Farrow Highway when he pushed her off, McKenzie said.
Prosecutors were unable to determine exactly how fast the motorcycle was traveling, but were told by the victim that the vehicle was traveling at a high speed when she was thrown off.

The ordeal continued when Nealey turned the motorcycle around to find the victim, who had survived the fall and attracted the attention of the driver of a passing 18-wheeler.

She grabbed on to the outside of the 18-wheeler and screamed “He’s trying to kill me,” as Nealey tried to pull her off.

The driver of the 18-wheeler testified in court that Nealey left the scene after he told him he’d called the police.

The woman suffered two broken arms that required plates and screws, head injuries, road burns as well as facial injuries as a result of the attack, McKenzie said.

Nealey was located and arrested by Darlington County authorities several days after incident.

McKenzie prosecuted the case along with 4th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Sherrie Baugh.
Nealey was represented by, 4th Circuit Public Defender Tonya Little.