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Name:
Neal, Deborah F.
Date of Booking:
07/21/2026
Reason(s) For Booking:
HOMICIDE BY VEHICLE IN 1ST DEGREE – FELONY
DUI – DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL – CONCENTRATION IS 0.08G OR MORE WITHIN 3 HRS OR MORE
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
Response to Scene:
On the above date at approximately 8:19 p.m. I was notified by dispatch that an accident with injury was reported in the area of Frederica Rd and Sea Island Rd.
Upon arrival to the scene, I observed that a white Infiniti G37 was off the road and collided with a tree off the roadway on Frederica Rd. There was extensive front end damage to the Infiniti and all airbags appeared to be deployed. I also observed a white Buick Encore totaled and disabled sitting in the Northbound Lane of Frederica Rd. I observed that the driver of the Buick was walking around and talking with bystanders, but observed that two females appeared to still be stuck inside the white Infiniti, resulting in me approaching the vehicle to check on the extent of their injuries.
The female driver, identified as Deborah Neal, was slumped over and her neck was hanging back. I did not observe any rise or fall of her chest and felt her carotid Artery for a pulse. I could not feel a strong pulse and was unsure if what I was feeling was my own heartbeat in my fingertip. While being in close proximity of the driver, I could smell a presence of Alcohol, but also was unsure if this was the powder from the airbag that had deployed moments prior. While trying to determine if the driver was still alive, I looked in the backseat and observed a blonde female laying face down and blood was pooling from her head and into the seat. The blood appeared to be bright red and was indicative of a head injury.
As I was stepping back away from the driver side door to check on the rear passenger I could hear a female bystander tell a fireman, “I don’t feel a pulse on her. She is not breathing.” Having no firm indication that that any occupant of this vehicle was alive, I notified Sgt. Correll #204 “This might be a foxtrot (Fatality).” Sgt. Correll notified dispatch to contact Georgia State Patrol at this time. I then walked around to the passenger side of the Infiniti and observed the front seat passenger, [REDACTED], laying flat on the ground and was receiving medical attention by a fireman. I then walked to the rear passenger side of the car and as fire was approaching the rear seat passenger, [REDACTED]. [REDACTED] was moving slightly, but was unconscious and unresponsive. I could now see that she had an abrasion to her forehead, additionally, all seatbelts in the rear-seat area were retracted and did not appear to have been used prior to the accident.
While I gave fire space to evaluate [REDACTED], I walked to the passenger side door and began to open it as far as possible, to allow fire to have room to evaluate Deborah. Once I pushed the door open, I reached inside and began to squeeze Deborah’s shoulder asking, “Ma’am. Can you hear me?” Deborah then began to slowly blink her eyes, but was not coherent enough to open them more than 1/16th of an Inch. Around this time, [REDACTED] began to sway her knees side to side and appeared to be some what talking to the medics. As I began to walk around the front of the Infiniti and go check on the driver of the Buick, Sgt. Correll got back on the radio and requested me for an update and asked if this was still a Possible Foxtrot. I replied, “Negative. Not as of now.”
I then walked to the rear of the Infiniti and switched to service, requesting a rotational wrecker for the Infiniti. Once confirmed that service had the Infiniti’s information I walked over to the Buick Encore and spoke to the driver, [VICTIM #1], and asked if she had a tow truck preference. [VICTIM #1] stated that she did not know and that anyone would be fine. I then walked to the Buick and requested service to start a rotational wrecker for the Buick. [VICTIM #1] had a limp to her walk and stated that fire/EMS had already checked her out and that she declined getting on an ambulance. I then asked [VICTIM #1] to explain what had occurred.
While getting [VICTIM #1]’s license from her, she explained that she was in the left hand turn lane on Frederica Rd north and was trying to turn left on to Sea island Rd. [VICTIM #1] said, “I was in the turn lane and I was trying to go this direction (pointing to Sea Island Rd westbound)…and then, they were just going fast. I had the green light and so I was gonna go and they they were coming so fast.” I then briefly stepped away from [VICTIM #1] and spoke to Officer Bohannon and returned back to [VICTIM #1], providing her with her drivers license. I again asked [VICTIM #1] to explain what had occurred. At this time, [VICTIM #1] became emotional and appeared to be questioning if she was at fault, stating “It was my fault. They weren’t speeding… I meant, I don’t know.” I attempted to ask [VICTIM #1] approximately how far away from the intersection the Infiniti was whenever she executed the left turn and she replied, “I really can’t remember.”
Around this time, Deborah, [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], had all been removed from the Infiniti and placed into their respective ambulances. Deborah was placed into GCFR Rescue 2, [REDACTED] placed into Rescue 11 and [REDACTED] placed into Rescue 4. The only occupant of the Infiniti that was now responsive was Deborah. I got into the rear of Rescue 2 and was seeking to find her drivers license, but was asked by EMS to exit the ambulance as they were about to transport her. Prior to getting off the ambulance Deborah stated, “I think it’s in my purse.” I walked to the Infiniti and located her purse that was placed on the hood of the Infiniti, presumably by fire and rescue. I did not locate Deborah’s ID anywhere in the purse and placed it back in the vehicle, as all three occupants had now been taken from the scene.
I looked thoroughly at the Infiniti and made several discoveries in reference to the safety belts. The driver seat belt (Deborah’s) was retracted up and was locked tight due to collision, indicating it was not worn. The passenger side seatbelt ([REDACTED]’s) was extended and slack, indicating it was worn. Same as my previous observation, all rear seatbelts were retracted up and no seatbelt was being worn by [REDACTED]. Following my observation of the safety belt topic, I walked to the Buick and determined that the driver side seatbelt ([VICTIM #1]’s) was retracted up and was locked tight, indicating it was not worn at the time of collision.
By this time, Modern Mechanics arrived on scene to Tow the white Infiniti. I was then approached by a Fireman who stated, “Hey I told Officer Bohannon (#192) earlier, but the driver smelled of Alcohol.” I stated that I had smelled the odor of Alcohol too and therefore was going to the hospital to follow up. I asked where Deborah was taken and he replied, “The driver and front passenger are getting taken to the ER (Southeast Georgia Health Systems) and the rear passenger [REDACTED] is getting airlifted by TraumaOne.”
I then notified Ofc. Pittman #183, Bohannon #192 and Henderson #144, that I was relinquishing the physical scene to them and was going to the ER to follow-up. I notified dispatch to assign the accident to me and that I was in route to the ER.
Arrival to ER:
Upon arrival to the ER I asked the receptionist what exam room Deborah was located in. I was advised that she was in Exam Room 33 and that she was available to talk to. I walked into Exam Room 33, reintroduced myself and asked Deborah if she could recall the accident. Deborah stated, “Everything is so blurry, I honestly don’t remember what happened at all.” I then immediately followed up by asking, “Do you remember if any seatbelts were worn?” Again, she replied, “I don’t know.” I finally asked her, “were any alcoholic beverages drunk today, anything like that?” Deborah replied, “Uh yes I was drinking earlier.” I attempted to ask approximately how long the time was from her last drink consumed to the time of collision and she cut me off stating, “Like Everything is foggy right now.” I completed my question and she followed by stating, “I don’t remember.”
Due to articulable reasonable suspicion that Deborah was possibly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision, I read Deborah the Georgia Implied Consent Notice assigned to me, at 9:29 p.m. After reading the Georgia Implied Consent Notice for suspects age 21 or over, I asked Deborah, “Will you submit to the state administered chemical tests of your blood?” Deborah nodded her head up and down “Yes.” I reverified by asking “You will?” and she continued to nod her head up and down in a “yes” fashion.
I immediately walked out and notified dispatch that Implied Consent had been read and agreed for blood. I then briefly walked back in and asked Deborah if she was able to recall the seating order of her passengers, which she confirmed that [REDACTED] was in the front passenger seat and [REDACTED] was in the rear seat. I then advised her that we would soon get a blood sample from her and leave her on her way to get feeling better. I then notified hospital staff at approximately 9:33 p.m. that I needed a phlebotomist for a blood draw, which they stated they were going to notify at the time. Officer Padgett #169 stated that he was going to bring me a GBI Blood Kit.
I then asked the receptionist which room [REDACTED] was located in and was advised “exam room 23.” I made successful contact with [REDACTED] and asked if she remembered any details of the accident. [REDACTED] stated, “We were stopped at the red light and got hit all of the sudden, and I don’t remember anything after that.” Unfortunately, [REDACTED] was needing by medical staff for further evaluation, therefore I could not continue further questioning with [REDACTED].
After speaking with [REDACTED], Officer Padgett arrived and provided me with a valid date GBI Blood Kit. I then patiently waited for a phlebotomist to arrive to complete a blood draw for processing. While waiting, I checked with dispatch to determine what time the collision was reported to have occurred and was provided the initial call time of 8:19 p.m. Finally, a phlebotomist, [REDACTED], arrived and drew successful blood draw samples at 11:09 p.m., or approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes after Deborah was last in control of the vehicle. [REDACTED] then placed the vials in the box and sealed the evidence in accordance to GBI policy and procedure. I was then provided with the evidence box, which I immediately transported to headquarters and placed into a secure evidence locker, along with a completed property receipt.
Witness interview with Officer Pittman:
Once I returned back to the Island substation after handling evidence, Officer Pittman advised that there was a witness on scene who he later did follow up with once he cleared from the scene of the accident. A Domino’s Pizza Delivery driver, [WITNESS #1], advised that she witnessed the whole incident prior and at the time of collision. Officer Pittman then allowed me to watch his bodycam footage of the interview.
[WITNESS #1] had explained that the Buick, “Had the green light. I’m actually pretty sure that she had a green arrow, and then the sedan hit the Buick so hard that it spun it around.” [WITNESS #1] had explained the traffic light as being green for northbound traffic, including the green left turn arrow, which [VICTIM #1] was in. This coincides with [VICTIM #1]’s first explanation of actually having a green turn arrow at the time the collision occurred. The traffic signal at the intersection of Frederica Rd and Demere Rd was confirmed in working order at or around the time of collision.
Based on the witness statement, [VICTIM #1] statement, in addition to [REDACTED] claiming their vehicle was at a red light, the allegation is that [VICTIM #1] had a protected green left-turn light at the time of the collision and that the witness, who was next to [VICTIM #1] at the time of the collision, also had a green light. This would suggest that no traffic was queued at the light traveling southbound on Frederica, resulting in only the northbound side having the green light.
To test this, I utilized two flock camera’s at the intersection of Frederica Rd and Sea Island Rd, one facing northbound and the other, southbound. At approximately 8:18:56 p.m., Deborah’s Infiniti is captured passing the southbound flock camera and in the straight lane of Frederica Rd, but the traffic light is not captured. However, the last vehicle captured going straight through Frederica Rd southbound was captured at 8:18:15 p.m. on flock Camera f#016.
On the northbound flock camera, a Greenlight is observed on the bumper reflection of a white Lexus, approximately 4 seconds after the 8:18:15 p.m. capture. This was the last verified point that the southbound side was green. On the southbound camera, a Nissan Rogue is observed in the right turning lane of Frederica SB at approximately 8:18:44 p.m. This same vehicle is captured on the northbound camera at 8:18:47 p.m. and the vehicle captured on this camera, shows that the southbound side of Frederica Rd has a solid red light, or approximately 9 Seconds Prior to Deborah’s Infinity passing the Southbound Camera.
Based on this information, the southbound lane had no traffic in the queue as the last possible vehicle that could have been queued was at 8:18:15 p.m. and we know based on the reflection from the Lexus, that this vehicle had a green light. which had changed to red 32 seconds later.
Traffic Signal review and testing:
I later tested the traffic light pattern with Officer Pittman #183, on 11/03/2025 at 2:28 a.m. With a green light for Frederica Rd in both directions, but with no inbound traffic southbound, if someone enters the left turn lane on Frederica Rd North, the southbound light will immediately turn red, which takes on average 4 seconds to cycle to red. I then intentionally sat through the protected left turn until the light forced the left-turn arrow to change, which will change after 30 seconds have elapsed from the time the left-turn signal was activated. I then went through the intersection, turned around a re-trialed the times, which remained consistent. I also confirmed that after the left turn signal vanishes, a green light is presented to Southbound traffic on Frederica rd.
I did this same test, but proceeded to drive through immediately as the left turn light activated, after proceeding through, the left-turn light cycles to red after a maximum of 10 seconds. I then tested three separate time trials held at 35 mph from the southbound flock camera to the Frederica Rd stop bar of the intersection. The first trial result in the distance between the two points being covered in 6.71 seconds, the second at 7.80 seconds and the third at 6.48 seconds. The average of the three combined results in 6.9966 seconds, or approximately 7 seconds to cover the distance of the two points at the speed limit of 35 mph.
Speed and time findings:
Based on this approximate time, it is estimated that the most accurate time of collision I have is 8:19:03 p.m. only if Deborah was abiding the posted speed limit of 35 mph. As the light was confirmed red in the reflection of a vehicle in Flock Camera F#017 at 8:18:47 p.m., and the black suburban being the last car through a green light on Frederica Rd at 8:18:44 p.m. the left turn queue started, resulting in the southbound lane turning red around 8:18:48 p.m. If at minimum [VICTIM #1] was the only vehicle queued to turn, at 8:18:48 p.m. the green turn light would have vanished at 8:18:58 p.m.
As there was no physical road evidence or indication that Deborah braked her vehicle, this means Deborah was captured on Flock camera approaching a solid red light, consistent with [REDACTED] stating she thought their light was red. Due to [VICTIM #1] and the witness claiming that [VICTIM #1] had a solid green arrow at the time of collision, this would also indicate that the light cycle would have held for a minimum of 30 seconds, based on my testing.
In conclusion, this total of evidence leads me to believe that Deborah failed to obey a traffic control device and ran the red-light, resulting in the collision. I will also update this case when I receive bloodwork results back from the GBI crime lab and will proceed forward with legal steps to present the findings in this case. I am under the suspicion that Deborah was intoxicated at the time of the collision, as indicated based on my testing of the traffic light, showing that there was a major delay in reaction perception.
Currently, [VICTIM #1]’s vehicle has been brought to the Glynn County Police Department headquarters and placed into evidence. I will be seeking a search warrant for both vehicles to have Lt. Jones or GSP SCRT conduct Crash data Retrieval for the event actions of both vehicle, at the time of and prior to collision. Once these findings are concluded, I will update the case further.
At this time, this case is an on-going DUI investigation and will have multiple points of follow-up to come, in the future.
All video, photo and documentation from this incident has been uploaded into evidence.com at this time. The GEARS report for this incident has been completed and sent to supervisors for review and/or approval.
[End of Narrative]
All information is sourced directly from the official, public court database. Case history is organized and curated by The Georgia Gazette staff. The “What this means:” explanations are written by AI and reviewed by our staff before publishing.
Court records are subject to change at the court’s discretion. The Georgia Gazette is not responsible for errors or omissions. Nothing here is legal advice. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Case History:
7/31/26
MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY HEARING AND BOND FILED
What this means: Deborah F Neal filed a motion requesting a preliminary hearing and bond consideration in Glynn County Magistrate Court case MG2600784. A preliminary hearing allows the defendant to challenge whether there is probable cause to believe she committed the crimes charged. Bond consideration determines whether she can be released from custody pending trial and under what conditions.
8/11/26
PRELIMINARY HEARING HELD
What this means: Deborah F Neal appeared for a preliminary hearing in Glynn County Magistrate Court. At the conclusion of the hearing, the magistrate found probable cause that the defendant committed the offenses charged.
8/11/26
SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL
What this means: Stacey Goad replaced the defendant’s previous attorney and became Deborah F Neal’s legal representative in the case.
8/11/26
ENTRY OF APPEARANCE
What this means: Attorney Stacey Goad formally entered an appearance on behalf of Deborah F Neal in Glynn County Magistrate Court case MG2600784, officially becoming the defendant’s counsel of record.
8/11/26
DEFENDANT BOUND OVER TO SUPERIOR COURT
What this means: Following the preliminary hearing, Deborah F Neal was bound over to Superior Court, meaning the case will proceed to the higher court for further proceedings. Bond was set at $100,000 plus costs, with conditions imposed by the Southeast Georgia Corrections office. These conditions typically include requirements such as regular check-ins, restrictions on travel, or other supervision measures designed to ensure the defendant’s appearance at trial and protect public safety.