By Riley Rinehart
A series of alarming events early in the morning on January 9, 2025, led to the arrest of Charles Harvey Neal III of Sapulpa after he allegedly threatened and intimidated two women, stole from them, and caused a scene at a local motel.
At approximately 1:25 a.m., Officer Amy Nichols of the Sapulpa Police Department was dispatched to the Super 8 Motel at 1505 SH 66. The call came in from a concerned party reporting a male who was yelling and running through the hallways of the motel, attempting to kick in a door before fleeing the premises.
Upon arriving, Officer Nichols found a distressed female, later identified as Victim One, sitting in a car behind a nearby movie theater. She explained to police that earlier in the evening, she and her friend, identified as Victim Two, had given a ride to Neal and his girlfriend, whom they did not know. The group had driven around, eventually making their way to Pretty Water Lake. Victim One shared that, during this time, Neal allegedly fired a gun from the back of the car and demanded she keep driving. Fearing for her safety, she continued to comply.
The group eventually arrived at the Super 8 Motel, where Victim One attempted to book a room for Neal, but was unsuccessful. After returning to the car, she discovered that Neal had ransacked it and that his girlfriend had disappeared. Neal then allegedly became agitated, running through the motel and searching for her while continuing to yell.
In a frightening escalation, Neal reportedly ordered Victim One to drive to the back of a nearby business, where he allegedly made her fear being taken advantage of, as stated in the affidavit. She screamed at him, at which point Neal removed items from the car (including the car key) and fled on foot. He briefly returned on a bicycle before disappearing again.
A short time later, Officer Jen Williams spotted Neal walking near the movie theater and took him into custody. Neal, who appeared intoxicated, was found in possession of the car keys, two pills, suspected marijuana cigarettes, and drug paraphernalia.
Further investigation uncovered Neal’s backpacks near the motel, containing a variety of suspicious items, including a makeshift firearm, flare guns, drug paraphernalia, and personal id and credit cards belonging to at least eight other individuals. Among the stolen items were a chainsaw, reciprocating saw, and drill taken from the victim’s vehicle.
Neal, who has a criminal history including felony convictions in California, now faces several charges in Creek County in connection with the incident. Authorities are continuing their investigation.