Nashville hotel manager charged with aggravated burglary, assault after entering guest’s room

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A manager at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Nashville has been charged with aggravated burglary and assault after he reportedly entered a guest’s room and sucked on his toes.

According to Metro police, 52-year-old David Neal was the night manager at downtown Nashville’s Hilton Hotel, located in the 100 block of 4th Avenue South.

Police said Neal made a key card and used it to enter the guest’s room on March 30 at around 5 a.m. The guest, Pete Brennan, told police he woke up and found Neal sucking on his toes. He immediately confronted Neal and recognized him as the person who had come into his room the day before with another employee to address an issue the guest was having with his TV, according to investigators.

Officers arrived at the hotel and spoke with Neal who allegedly admitted to entering the guest’s room but said he did so after he allegedly smelled smoke and wanted to check on the victim. However, police said Neal did not report the smell of smoke to security, nor were there any other reports about a smell of smoke in the hotel.

The room key was not recovered and investigators said Neal claimed he threw the key away.

Neal was arrested Friday at his home and is jailed on a $27,000 bond.

Earlier this month, Brennan filed a lawsuit against the hotel, telling Nexstar’s WKRN that his attorneys found Neal has a lengthy criminal history.

“Multiple charges of forgery, drinking and driving, a manslaughter conviction as well, which served prison time,” Michael Fisher with Rocky McElhaney Law firm, who is one of the lawyers representing Brennan, told WKRN. “When Hilton hired this person, they had to have known. They have to do background checks to know, and the fact that they would put somebody like that in a position where they have the ability to clone keys, have the ability to get into a guest’s room.”

At the time, a Hilton spokesperson said that because the downtown Nashville location is independently owned, they “cannot speak on the hotel’s behalf.” Hilton Downtown Nashville later told WKRN, “The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority. We are working closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and, as part of company policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations.”