Missouri police chief accused of attacking wife with hammer

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HOLDEN, Mo. (AP) – A western Missouri police chief has been placed on leave after being arrested on suspicion of attacking his wife with a hammer.

Holden Police Chief Trent Neal was arrested after police were called about an attack Tuesday night, television station WDAF reported. Neal, 29, is suspected hitting his wife in the head with a framing hammer while the pair were in their garage, rendering the woman unconscious.

The woman told investigators with the Missouri State Highway Patrol that when she came to, Neal was no longer in the garage, and she called a friend who, in turn, called authorities.

Investigators said in court records that the chief’s wife had visible injuries to her cheek and head when authorities arrived at the home. When asked how his wife got the injuries, Neal told a detective he had “no idea” and had been asleep when authorities arrived.

The woman told investigators Neal has assaulted her repeatedly over the past two years and threatened to take their child away from her.

Neal has served as Holden’s police chief since 2019, and before that was a deputy with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

Neal has been charged with third-degree domestic assault and faces a court hearing on Wednesday. An attorney for Neal, Lance Riddle of Warrensburg, did not immediately return a phone message left Friday by The Associated Press seeking comment.

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