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Fugitive in custody after chase

Caught: Robert Clint Cooper "Wolf" McNeely

By Richelle Bailey | The McDowell News

Published: November 17, 2009

A local man who eluded officers for 24 hours after fleeing from a woman's car during a traffic stop Sunday night is behind bars.
Robert Clint Cooper "Wolf" McNeely, 24, of Tanya Drive in Nebo was captured in Burke County Monday night following a vehicle pursuit.
McDowell County Sheriff Dudley Greene said local authorities got a lead Monday about a vehicle McNeely might be occupying. That information was disseminated to surrounding law enforcement agencies.
Greene said Morganton Department of Public Safety officers spotted the vehicle Monday night and attempted to stop it, but the driver fled and a chase ensued.
Authorities threw out stop sticks at Exit 105 on Interstate 40 to halt the vehicle, which was also occupied by a female, according to the sheriff.
McNeely was the passenger in a vehicle driven by Brandi Neneve Mahan, 23, of Seagle Street that McDowell deputies stopped Sunday night in the area of Hankins and Cannon roads.
Officers knew McNeely was wanted on a probation violation. As they tried to take McNeely into custody, Mahan put the car in motion and hit Lt. Larry Lytle of the McDowell County Sheriff's Office.
Lytle sustained minor injuries, said Greene, and continues to recover at home.
Deputies again got Mahan's Pontiac Grand Prix stopped 300 yards down the road, but McNeely had fled.
Mahan was charged with multiple offenses, including assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer.
McNeely stayed on the lam for 24 hours before Monday night's chase in Burke.
Capt. Ricky Crisp of the McDowell County Sheriff's Office said McNeely will face charges locally, but those offenses have not yet been determined. Greene said McNeely was also wanted in Yancey County.
"We appreciate the assistance of the Marion Police Department, the Yancey County Sheriff's Office, the Burke County Sheriff's Office and the Morganton Department of Public Safety in this matter," Greene stated.