Franklin man who hit bicyclist on Natchez Trace pleads guilty, gets 10 months in prison

A federal judge accepted a plea agreement from a Franklin man who hit a cyclist on the Natchez Trace Parkway in July.

Marshall Grant Neely III pleaded guilty to all three counts: reckless aggravated assault; lying to a federal agent; and obstruction of justice.

Neely agreed to accept a 10-month prison sentence, which would be followed by three years of supervised release. He would also have to pay $1,210 in restitution to the cyclist he hit.

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Revealed in the facts presented in the hearing, Neely and his family received threatening messages after the video of the crash went up online. Bumper stickers and his license plate number identified him to online users.

Investigators found that Neely removed the stickers from his vehicle.

"It was going to identify me, you would have done the same thing," Neely said to investigators.

Law enforcement officers also arrived at Neely’s house and found him unconscious on the floor. Neely later admitted that he had been driving on the Natchez Trace Parkway earlier in the day and claimed someone threw a bicycle at his car.

A judge will finalize his sentencing at 9 a.m. Aug. 17.

About the crash

According to his arrest warrant, Neely told the National Park Service the cyclist, Tyler Noe, threw the bike into his car. Noe was struck by a black Volvo and injured, according to the indictment.

Noe suffered injuries in the incident, but he managed to spring up after the car hit him.

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile scenic route between Tennessee and Mississippi. Signs throughout Williamson County remind drivers to give bikers space on the roadway. Its speed limit is 40 mph.

The case was investigated by the National Park Service and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department.

More: Cyclists take extra precautions nearly a year after crash on Natchez Trace Parkway

Reach Emily West at erwest@tennessean.com; at 615-613-1380; or on Twitter at @emwest22.