OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man faces felony assault charges this week after allegedly threatening two other men with a hammer in a dispute over vehicles parked in the driveway at a midtown residence last Friday.
Shortly before 2 p.m. last Friday, Ocean City Police responded to a residence on 86th Street for an assault that had already occurred. Upon arrival, the officers met with a male and female victim who told police a man they knew who lived on the bottom level of the residence, later identified as Neil Curtis Staggers, 53, of Ocean City, had attempted to attack them both with a hammer.
The female victim lives on the second level of the split-level residence, while Staggers lives on the bottom level. The male victim was visiting the female victim at the second level residence when the alleged hammer assault occurred.
According to police reports, the male victim had parked in the shared single-lane driveway of the residence prior to his visit with the female victim. While inside the residence, the victims reportedly heard the continuous sound of a vehicle horn coming from the driveway. The victims looked out and observed Staggers in his own vehicle directly behind the victim’s truck while attempting to leave the driveway.
The male victim moved his truck, allowing Staggers to exit, and then pulled back into the driveway. About five minutes later, Staggers returned and again blew his vehicle’s horn. The victims again looked outside and this time saw Staggers shouting that he was going to smash out the windows of the truck. The male victim moved his truck to the street at this point.
As the male victim began to return to the residence, Staggers appeared from the rear brandishing a hammer, according to police reports, and raised the hammer to shoulder height and aggressively approached the two victims.
According to police reports, the two victims told the officers they feared for their lives and believed Staggers was going to cause them bodily injury or even kill them with the hammer. The victims retreated to a sidewalk at the residence and Staggers continued to pursue them. They then fled to a side yard with Staggers still in pursuit. Staggers then stopped and walked back toward the driveway. Staggers was charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, carrying a dangerous weapon with intent to injure and disorderly conduct.
