A business traveler, passing through Nashville, woke up to his horror to find the hotel manager sucking on his toes, according to court records. Police have since arrested David Patrick Neal, 52, the manager of a Nashville Hilton Hotel and charged him with one count each of aggravated burglary and assault, court records reveal.
The victim, identified as Peter Brennan, said that on March 30 he was resting at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Nashville when he woke up at around 5 am to find Neal, the hotel's manager, engaging in a football fetish on his lower digits. He was initially in shock and was confused about what to do.
Shocking Experience
Brennan said that after a few seconds, he shouted and dialed 911 after being left shocked by what was happing to him. Neal later told police that he used a key to enter the room because he could smell something burning.
The victim told WKRN that when he was awakened in March, he knew it was Neal right away since the manager had been in to replace the television the night before.
The guest claimed that he was so horrified by the encounter that it has shattered his sense of security.
Police noted in the arrest report that neither Brennan nor Neal informed anybody else on the hotel employees of his claim to have smelled smoke.
Neal allegedly admitted to police that he tossed away the duplicate key after leaving the visitor's room, but it was never found.
Brennan has now sued Neal for sexual assault.
"All my life you just have that sense of security, and that sense of peace, right? It's not like you're camping and you have to kind of keep one eye open. You have that security that's yours, and when you close your eyes, you feel like you're safe and you're protected and it was a complete violation," Brennan told WKRN.
"I was just so, so shocked. It was, 'Who are you? Why are you in my room?' It was almost like a dream, a sort of nightmare. It just didn't make sense. Why is this person touching me?"
Confidence Hits Rock Bottom
Neal was arrested on Friday and charged with aggravated burglary and assault. Neal has a long rap sheet that includes charges of manslaughter for shooting his roommate to death in the 1990s.
Neal was accused of second-degree manslaughter in 1996 after fatally shooting his roommate following a dispute.
Despite Neal's claims that he made the killing in self-defense, a jury found him guilty of voluntary manslaughter.
Brennan, a former intelligence officer who served in the Air Force and to the rank of lieutenant, claims he is having difficulties sleeping in his own bed right now. "I'm having problems sleeping - going through some PTSD and talking to a therapist," he explained.
Security at the Hilton, according to Brennan, "did not appear to take his complaint seriously" after he reported the conduct.
He subsequently made a call to the local police, who are now looking into the incident.
Brennan cut short his work trip because he felt unsafe and vulnerable and went back to Texas.
Michael Fisher, the victim's attorney, told WKRN that he was horrified that the Hilton would put someone like Neal in a position where he would have unrestricted access to customers' rooms.
"Multiple charges of forgery, drinking and driving, a manslaughter conviction as well, which served prison time," Fisher said.
"When Hilton hired this person, they had to have known. They have to do background checks to know, and the fact that they would put somebody like that in a position where they have the ability to clone keys, have the ability to get into a guest's room."
Neal was held following his arrest after he failed to pay $27,000 bail.
