CLAY, W.Va. — Criminal charges against a Clay County father are headed to a grand jury for consideration after a preliminary hearing.
James Neal II, 34, of Bickmore, faces charges after he reportedly crashed his SUV into a parked front end-loader along Route 16 on August 22. The crash killed his two sons, James Neal III, 7, and Zayden Hurley, 13. A 14-year-old boy, identified only by his initials E.M., was critically injured. He was in the driver’s side back seat.
Neal II was charged by state police with two counts of DUI causing death, two counts of child neglect resulting in death, one count of DUI causing serious bodily injury and one count of child neglect creating risk of injury or death. He was allegedly under the influence of drugs when the crash occurred.
During a preliminary hearing Wednesday, a Clay County magistrate forwarded the charges to a grand jury and agreed to lower Neal’s bond to $15,000. It had been set at $1 million when he was first charged.
If Neal posts the new bond amount, he’ll be held on home confinement with weekly testing for drugs and preventions to bar him from driving. He remains in the Central Regional Jail.