Incident was videoed, posted on social media
Snowbird – A dispute over use of roadway led to a wild scuffle and later the arrests of two local residents.
Shanda Buchanan Dooley, 40 and Todd Hubert Dooley, 48 – both of Riverview Drive – were booked into the Graham County Jail on Aug. 12 and charged in an assault on Robert Cape, a resident of Snowbird Road.
Shanda faces charges of felony breaking and/or entering a motor vehicle, misdemeanor larceny and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Todd has been charged with felony assault on an individual with a disability, felony assault serious bodily injury and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Both posted bail within 30 minutes of being booked. A court date has not been set.
Share the road
According to Sheriff Jerry Crisp, the July 25 incident began when Todd and Cape met in the roadway on Riverview Drive. Crisp says neither party wanted to let the other pass on the narrow dirt road, which led to both exiting their vehicles.
After a brief exchange of words, Cape threw a punch at Todd. The two continued to argue back and forth, which is where a widely circulated video begins.
“You were the one that jumped right here, ‘You should have turned around.’ I live here,” Todd tells Cape.
Moments later, Shanda tells their 15-year-old son – who will not be named in this report since he is a minor – “He hit your daddy.”
“Robert’s a good man” is then heard off-camera by Robert’s girlfriend, who posted the video on social media.
“Don’t you do this,” Cape warns Todd.
“Don’t you do what?” Todd immediately replies.
The fight begins moments after. Todd is heard saying, “You’re going down,” with the minor then entering the fray and shoving Cape.
“Don’t you hit that young boy,” the girlfriend tells Cape.
Cape is then forced back to the open cab of his truck and turns his back on Todd and the minor, who begin laying blows into Cape’s back.
“Don’t you (expletive) with my dad. I’ll beat the living (expletive) out of you,” the minor said.
Cape continues to plead with both Todd and the minor to stop. The video cuts off seconds later, but Crisp said Cape came back out with a glass pan and hit Todd over the head with it, leading to a head injury.
The scuffle then spilled into the yard of a residence. A second video begins with Shanda and the girlfriend exchanging name calling. The Dooley’s 17-year-old daughter is heard on the phone attempting to report the incident, saying Cape struck the minor.
The daughter then approaches the girlfriend and begins a verbal exchange, as Shanda repeatedly asks the girlfriend where her kids are.
“(Expletive) you’re not allowed to video me without my permission,” the daughter tells the girlfriend. “Touch me, I dare you.”
“You better not (expletive) with my little girl,” Shanda tells the girlfriend.
The video then pans over to the fight in a driveway. Cape is seen kneeling on the ground, as both Todd and the minor continue the assault.
“Don’t (expletive) with my family,” the son yells.
“Get off him! Robert!” the girlfriend shouts, as Cape is heard pleading for Todd and the son to stop the assault.
“That shows how much of a man he is,” the son says as he approaches the camera. The son later begins flexing.
Todd is then seen holding Cape on the ground, as Cape yells, “I’m having a heart attack!” Todd then begins pounding Cape on the head, as Cape yells, “I’m sorry, God! Forgive me!”
Sometime during the fight, Shanda confiscated the keys to Cape’s truck, which were later recovered when authorities arrived.
Investigation
Crisp said authorities arrived on the scene and separated the two parties. The residence where the fight occurred had Ring security cameras, which Crisp said aided the investigation immensely.
“Of course, it took about a week to get sorted through it all,” Crisp said. “Anytime you have a case this big and this explosive, you got everybody wanting to rush (the investigation); the ‘lynch mob’ mentality.
“I don’t play lynch mob. These things take time, if you have any hope of convictions and doing it right – and charging the right people with the right crime.”
Crisp said investigators conferred with District Attorney Ashley Welch about the incident to make sure proper charges were handed down.
It was anticipated by Crisp that both minors would be charged under the state’s laws of juvenile petition. No charges have been brought against the girlfriend, but Crisp indicated that Cape could face simple assault charges. However, he had not been booked in the jail at press time.