Bride-To-Be Defends Her Pickup, Pulls Gun on Man Who Disrupts Wedding Preparations

ap ^ | 7/6/02

[Ranger]

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. (AP) - Florists were hanging wisteria at Charlotte Ann Neely-White's home for her wedding when a stranger drove up, claimed there was a bomb in his car, and made the mistake of demanding her beloved pickup.

Neely-White had her fiance get her pistol, and while she fought with the man, the gun went off, wounding the man in the chest.

A few hours later, Neely-White got married as scheduled.

"It was a long day," the former public school principal said Friday.

"This lady was as calm as a cucumber. She can withstand anything. I admire her guts," said flower arranger Linda Cassidy. "I don't think I'd want to make her upset."

Lawrence County Sheriff Doug Seneker said he had no doubt that Neely-White acted in self defense.

Witnesses said the confrontation started about three hours before Neely-White's Fourth of July wedding.

The stranger "went rushing by and then he slammed on his brakes, and then he came into the yard, and he said 'Somebody call 911 quick, there's a bomb in my car,'" Cassidy said. "He was scared and excited, and just kind of wired."

Then he demanded that Neely-White give him her pickup.

She refused.

"Have you ever had anything you really love? Well, I love that truck," said Neely-White, 55.

She said the man threatened to set off the bomb if she didn't give him her truck. "I said, 'No sir, you go ahead and set the bomb off. My house needs work anyway.'"

Neely-White said the man attacked her with a riding whip, so she yelled for her fiance, who had gone inside to call police, to grab her .22-caliber pistol.

"I probably mowed my fiance over," Neely-White said. As a former principal, it was in her nature to take control, she said.

Seneker said Neely-White and the assailant struggled for the gun, and it went off, hitting the man once in the chest. He managed to grab the gun from her, break a window in Neely-White's pickup with a piece of firewood and open the door. With the gun pointed at her, Neely-White backed off.

Police later arrested Jorge Luis Cecenas, 30, after he allegedly abandoned the pickup. He was charged Friday, while hospitalized with a chest wound, with first-degree assault and other counts.

AP-ES-07-06-02 1517EDT

[cake_crumb]

"the man threatened to set off the bomb if she didn't give him her truck. "I said, 'No sir, you go ahead and set the bomb off. My house needs work anyway.'"

ROFLOL...there's a quote that should go down in history! That's one TOUGH school principle! Update us when the perp's trial comes up, please!

[pabianice]

Good thing this didn't happen in Massachusetts. She'd already be in jail and the ACLU would already be suing her for violating the criminal's civil rights...

[GnuHere]

Just another wedding in the Ozarks. Nothing to see here, folks.

[facedown]

ping

[Ben Hecks]

I don't know Charlotte Ann Neely but I rode the school bus with a Sid Neely to Mt. Vernon HS many years ago. He was as solid as they come. Sid retired from the Springfield, MO, Police Dept. several years ago. If Charlotte is his kin, I suspect that she is someone that we want on our side.

[20yearvet]

What a girl. If this was my bride I would get her a 38SP or a .357. By the way I did get my bride a 38SP.

[shiva]

HeeeeeeHAwwwwwww!!!!Had a gun in her purse in case the groom tried to back out of the wedding.

[lowbridge]

Belles bump

[Squantos]

Well her new hubby may wear the pants in the family but this clearly proves they zip up on the side :o)

Gheeeesh , what a whus .....kick his butt honey , while I go get yer pistola !

Stay Safe !

[wardaddy]

Damn shameful....he outta be neutered before he embarrasses anymore of us horndoggies.

[MinuteGal]

"Have you ever had anything you really loved" Well, I love that truck", said the bride.

Maybe there's a clue in there somewhere.

Leni

[FreedomPoster]

Ya just gotta love Red Zone America! This story warms my heart, and makes me feel good about our country.

[Jhoffa_]

I think I am in love with a married woman..

[freebilly]

One question...: was she related to the man she married?

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Well, I tell you what, I wear the pants in my family. Whatever pair my wife tells me to.

[SamAdams76]

And here is a photo of the wedding party. The spunky bride is seated next to her bridesmaid (standing). Then you have the groom and best man. BTW, the possum stew served up at the reception was awesome!

[eyes_only]

Ya just gotta love Red Zone America! This story warms my heart, and makes me feel good about our country.

 

Yup, you sure got that right.

 

I think I just figured out this red/blue zone stuff.

 

Red Zone= Red-blooded, patriotic, sovereign American citizens.

 

Blue Zone= Blue blood, Tories. Subjects to the sickly, inbreed sycophants,  faux aristocrats, fawning in the majesty's court under the command of the king.  Ignorance is Strength, Hate is Love, War is Peace...

 

rant, rant, rant, rant, rant, rant, rant, rant, rant, rant, rant, rant!!!!

[FreedomPoster]

You are correct. And, there was a widely-publicized county-by-county map of the 2000 Presidential election, with the Gore counties in Blue, and the Bush counties in Red. It would have been very easy to fly from the East Coast to the Left Coast without ever touching a blue county. The converse was impossible.

[Feiny]

That story was too funny. I am a bit confused as to why the husband-to-be came back with the pistol & then handed it to his future wife while she was engaged in a fight. He should have the shot the guy himself.....if she were me I would not have married him.

[the irate magistrate]

Where is Fred Mertz when we need him?