DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A Decatur man is in jail after police say he hit his next-door neighbor with his car. It happened early Monday morning near North 24th and East William Streets.

Joseph Hollgarth stood near the victim, 42-year-old Brandie Pugsley, as he and a group of people were getting ready to have a barbecue. A loud noise caught their attention.

He said the nextdoor neighbor, 54-year-old Michael Gentry, pulled out from behind his house, drove down the alley, hit a tree, backed up and then rammed through the fence behind Pugsley’s house before hitting her.

“I watched everything right there — her leg getting snapped and broke and everything else,” Hollgarth said. “I just can’t even believe it. I just can’t believe that happened to a girl like her.”

Sworn police statements say officers found Pugsley lying on the ground after Michael hit her going 20-30 miles an hour. The documents say his blood alcohol content was nearly three times the legal limit to drive shortly after the incident. 

Sheri Gentry, Michael’s wife, told officers he drank an entire bottle of tequila before it happened.

“[Pugsley’s] leg was split open — her kneecap to her ankle — and her bone was sticking out,” Hollgarth said. “There was blood all over her face.”

The police statements say Michael showed no remorse for his actions, and told officers that he would have shot at his neighbors if he had a gun.

Sheri said Pugsley and the others in the house have caused ongoing issues for the neighborhood ever since they got there about two years ago. She said Michael had just had enough and snapped.

“There’s cars revving their engines, there’s people defecating in the yards, they’ve cussed me [and] my daughter [out],” Sheri said. “My husband has been incarcerated for what he did, and I don’t condone what he did, but I’m here alone, I’m 60 years old and I’m afraid to sleep at night.”

She said there’s people making noise outside all night. On the other hand, Hollgarth said they keep to themselves and never throw parties.

Decatur Police Lieutenant Scott Rosenbery said officers were called to the area twice in 2023 for noise complaints, but nothing more recent. 

While the neighbors continue to have disagreements, what they have in common is their sympathy for Pugsley. 

“I’m sorry the girl got hurt,” Sheri said. “I’ve asked her brother who’s over there many times if she’s ok, and I pray for her and her family.”

Michael is facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated DUI causing bodily harm. 

Pugsley is recovering in Springfield Memorial Hospital after she was airlifted there from Decatur.