Troy Neff sentenced to probation in road-rage incident

4/6/2009

Former radio personality Troy Neff was sentenced Monday in Perrysburg Municipal Court for his role in a road-rage incident last year.

Mr. Neff, 40, of Curtice, was convicted of disorderly conduct with persistence. The charge was reduced from a first-degree misdemeanor assault charge.

Judge S. Dwight Osterud sentenced Mr. Neff to 30 days in jail suspended, two years probation, and ordered him to take anger management classes.

Attorney Drew Griffith said yesterday that Mr. Neff may not have reacted to the situation in the most mature way possible, but he ultimately was the victim. Mr. Neff was stabbed several times.

"He s a victim, although, he certainly did act in a manner that could be considered disorderly," Mr. Griffith said.

Jeffrey Hardeman, 42, of Knoxville, Tenn., the other man involved in the fight and accused of stabbing Mr. Neff, was charged with felonious assault and tampering with evidence for the incident.

Those felony charges have been dropped while his attorney, Scott Ciolek, works with the prosecutor s office on a plea agreement.

Mr. Ciolek said he expects a plea to be reached sometime this month.

Mr. Neff was stabbed in the shoulder, arm, and hand Dec. 10, after Mr. Hardeman apparently cut off Mr. Neff and it led to the men exchanging words, getting out of their vehicles, and fighting.

The incident occurred in Perrysburg Township near Mr. Neff s financial business, Advanced Retirement Solutions.

Since then, Mr. Neff s radio show, the Troy Neff Show on WCWA-AM, was taken off the air and his column in the Toledo Free Press was canceled.