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Neal is the son of Evelyn and Robert Neal Harwell. Evelyn is retired from the United States Postal Service and Robert Neal is retired from LP&L/Entergy. Robert Neal served as Mayor of Mangham from 1991 to 2014.

Neal’s daughter Madalyn “Maddy” Harwell is a student at ULM majoring in General Studies with a concentration in Business. She is a licensed Realtor and works with Cypress State Realty in Rayville.

Neal graduated from Mangham High School where he served as Vice President of the Future Farmers of America. He played football for four years and was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Neal is a member of: Lone Cherry Baptist Church, 9-1-1 Board, Mangham Fire District, W. M. Baker

Masonic Lodge, NRA, Wellspring Safe Task Force on Domestic Violence, North Delta Louisiana Enforcement District and the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association.

In 1990, Neal served as the Captain of the Mangham Volunteer Fire Department. Mangham Police Chief Travis Stephenson hired Neal as a Reserve Patrol Officer in August of 1990. Neal began serving with the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office on July 2, 1991, when he was commissioned by Sheriff Lorell Graham.

While majoring in Criminal Justice at NLU, Neal was hired by the Louisiana State Police in March of 1992.

After he graduated from the Louisiana State Police Academy, Neal served as a Trooper, primarily in East and West Carroll, Madison, Tensas and in his home Parish of Richland.

Capt. Claude Mercer promoted Neal to Detective in 1997. Neal credits Mercer as one of the reasons that he chose law enforcement as a career.

In the 25 years, Neal served with the Louisiana State Police, he continued annual educational classes in the Reid Interviewing and Interrogation Technique, FBI Evidence Recovery, Advanced Criminal Investigations, Money Laundering, Gang Investigations, Terrorist Threats, Crisis Negotiation, Advanced Practical Homicide Investigation, Active School Shooter Training and other classes and training.

He was recognized for his efforts by the FBI and the State Police for several cases including Operation Steel Tank and a Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive Investigation. While with the Louisiana State Police as a Detective Sergeant,

Neal was featured on television’s Real Stories of the Highway Patrol,

The FBI: Criminal Pursuit and America’s Most Wanted.

In 2016, when Sheriff Gary Gilley asked Neal to be his Chief Deputy,

he retired from the Louisiana State Police and began serving as the Chief

Deputy for the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office. He graduated, alongside Sheriff Gilley, from the Louisiana Sheriffs Association’s Sheriff School in Baton Rouge, for new sheriffs and their chief deputies.