Man allegedly threatens future in-law with gun

David Wayne Neighbors - Submitted photo
David Wayne Neighbors - Submitted photo

A Hot Springs man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly threatening his future daughter-in-law with a shotgun and damaging a Garland County sheriff's deputy's unit.

David Wayne Neighbors, 55, of 125 Delona Lane, was taken into custody shortly after 10:30 a.m. and charged with a felony count of aggravated assault on a family or household member, punishable by up to six years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of first-degree criminal mischief, punishable by up to one year in jail.

Neighbors remained in custody Thursday on zero bond and is set to appear today in Garland County District Court.

According to the probable cause affidavit, around 8 a.m. Thursday, sheriff's Deputy Lonnie Yarbrough was dispatched to the Delona Lane residence regarding a disturbance. He spoke with a woman, 27, who stated her "soon-to-be father-in-law," identified as Neighbors, had threatened her with a shotgun.

She said Neighbors went into a back bedroom of the home they live in, retrieved a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, pointed it at her and told her he was going to shoot her. Then he left the scene.

Yarbrough noted the shotgun was broken into four different pieces on the ground and he collected them along with three shotgun shells as evidence.

At 10:30 a.m., Yarbrough was notified Neighbors had been spotted in the 1200 block of East Grand Avenue so he responded there and found him at the intersection of North Border Terrace and East Grand.

He took Neighbors into custody, but while escorting him to his unit Neighbors allegedly became aggressive and pulled away from him and Deputy Heidi Bernard. Yarbrough noted he had Neighbors' left arm and Bernard had his right arm and Neighbors pushed his knee against his patrol unit, leaving a dent, during the struggle with damage estimated at $800.

Neighbors' wife, 46, filed a petition for an order of protection against Neighbors on Wednesday, alleging he had made threats to kill her and told her children he was going to kill her in addition to the threats against her son's girlfriend.

She stated in the petition he also drove his eighteen-wheeler into her vehicle, trying to push it into her trailer, damaging the vehicle. She alleges he also fought with their 21-year-old son while trying to get to their 17-year-old daughter with the violence and threats occurring in the presence of their 9-month-old granddaughter.

She stated, "I can't take the abuse or put me or my kids through this any longer. Even though I know this order of protection is probably not going to stop him, I want it in place so I have done everything in my power to protect me, my children and my granddaughter."

Neighbors' wife had previously filed a petition for protection in 2018, but it was later dismissed at her request.

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