Auto Biography
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254 Arney had to get busy: I was present during Arney’s meeting with Ben Woody on October 27, 2011.
255 Currituck County surprises him: I attended the Technical Review Committee meeting at the county courthouse on December 21, 2011.
256 At the rear of the property: Notes from my Moyock visit of November 10, 2011.
256 “It’ll be a long, long time”: I witnessed this scene on November 9, 2011.
257 In mid-November 2011: Notes from my Moyock visit of November 17, 2011.
258 He has a propane heater: Ibid., and notes from my visit of November 22, 2011.
258 So he cuts away a rusted flange: Notes from my Moyock visit of November 23, 2011.
259 On a late November Saturday: Notes from my Moyock visit of November 28, 2011.
260 The Dodge is still there: Kitchens interview of December 5, 2011.
260 That evening, I find Arney: I witnessed this scene on November 28, 2011.
261 But the next morning: Kitchens told me he’d been fired on Friday, December 16, 2011. I brought up the firing with Arney several times over the next month, expressing my own view that Painter Paul was a dedicated worker.
PART IV—PEDAL TO THE METAL
265 So Arney has his surveyor: I attended the meeting between Arney and Woody on January 10, 2012.
266 The next day, Arney: Notes from my Moyock visit of June 26, 2012, during which I examined copies of Woody’s emails.
266 Comes now the day: I was present during Arney’s meeting with Woody on January 12, 2012, and the Board of Adjustment meeting that night.
267 In early February: Arney interview of February 8, 2012.
267 Once again, he finds his time: Arney began work on the building in January 2012. A city fire marshal, suspecting that work had been performed on the premises without a permit, informed Arney on February 16 that he’d have to submit to an inspection of the building’s interior. Arney went “berserk,” Deputy City Attorney Cynthia Hall told me in an August 26, 2013, interview, and in angry exchanges with city officials revealed to them that he was renting to the Hells Angels. The city responded by informing Arney that the building was zoned for retail, not as a “place of assembly.” He’d thus have to declare the intended use of the property before any permits would be issued. Arney responded with a March 6 affidavit, which he signed with the local Hells Angel leader, attesting that the “downstairs space will be used for internet/online retail sales of clothing and accessories.” That failed to convince City Hall—and the same went for a floor plan of the space on which a massive bar was labeled an “employee lunch counter.” The building was placarded by the city on March 14, “due to current condition deemed a hazard to firefighters and occupants.” Hall took command of the city’s dealings with Arney the next day.
269 Which might be reasonable advice: Hall letter to Bill Taliaferro of March 22, 2012. Hall supplied me with a copy in August 2013.
270 A few days later his lawyers: I heard Arney’s end of the phone conversation during my Moyock visit of March 26, 2012.
270 The upshot is that days pass: The day’s events are recorded in my notes of March 26, 2012.
273 They select the first car: Notes from my visit to Moyock of March 27, 2012.
274 Skinhead uses a reciprocating saw: Notes from my Moyock visit of March 28, 2012.
276 Confirmation comes in another: Notes from my Moyock visit of March 29, 2012.
277 The Turbo 350, as motorheads call it: Ibid., and notes from my Moyock visit of June 9, 2012.
277 They roll the donor car’s: Notes from my Moyock visit of March 30, 2012.
278 One: Arney orders the parts: Notes from my Moyock visit of May 30, 2012.
278 Two: Whatever Paul did or didn’t do: I witnessed the El Camino owner’s fretting in Moyock on June 1, 2012.
278 Three: Money, already tight: I witnessed this conversation on May 30, 2012.
279 Arney isn’t inclined: I witnessed this exchange on May 18, 2012.
280 In late May, however: Arney interview of June 12, 2012.
280 Not long after, Skinhead finds: Skinhead was served on May 18, 2012. The following passage is from my interview with him of June 25, 2012.
281 We now return to the wagon: Notes from my visit to Moyock of June 1, 2012.
283 True to his word: This section is based on notes from my Moyock visit of June 9, 2012.
283 Early one morning: Arney, McQuillen, and Paul Kitchens interviews of June 25, 2012. Arney shared a copy of O’Boyle’s letter, which was written on behalf of U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride and dated June 13.
284 Arney has no interest: Arney interview of June 25, 2012.
285 He’ll do nothing to help: Ibid.
285 Ibid.
285 He will offer variations: Ibid.
286 Now dust devils whirl: Ibid.
286 The morning after this conversation: Interview with John McQuillen of June 26, 2012.
288 Then, early on Thursday: Interview with John McQuillen of July 13, 2012.
288 Arney’s part in the scheme: Indictment and “Statement of Facts” filed with Arney’s plea agreement on August 24, 2012. See also Tim McGlone, “Six More Charged with Bank Fraud,” Virginian-Pilot, July 13, 2012; and McGlone, “Ed Woodard Jr.: The Man Behind the Bank,” Virginian-Pilot, July 15, 2012.
289 While the lawmen host: McQuillen interview of July 13, 2012.
290 That afternoon, Arney: I was present during the court proceedings of July 12, 2012.
290 Arney leaves the courthouse: My interview with Tommy Arney of August 4, 2012.
290 And truly, the day is not: Arney interview of July 13, 2012.
291 Though it hasn’t been easy: Notes from my visit to Moyock of July 16, 2013.
291 Arney reports as he eats: The following passage is drawn from notes from my visit to Moyock of July 17, 2013.
293 In court the next morning: I witnessed both the courtroom drama and Brad Schuler’s visit to Moyock of July 18, 2012. See also Tim McGlone, “Ex-President, Five Others Plead Not Guilty in Bank-Fraud Case,” Virginian-Pilot, July 19, 2012.
294 Most of Arney’s waking hours: Notes from my visits to Moyock of July 25 and 26, 2012.
295 And as if his finances: Notes from my visit to Moyock of August 6, 2012.
295 He can’t afford not: Arney interview of August 4, 2012.
296 Over the same period: Arney interview of August 4, 2012.
296 He also seems to develop: Notes from my visit to Moyock of August 15, 2012.
296 By late August: Ibid.
297 One more thing: Ibid.
299 On Friday, August 25: I was present in court for the session. Arney provided an account of how and why he decided to plead in several interviews.
300 His fate is now assured: Arney told me of his color selection in a September 26, 2012, phone interview.
300 I see it myself a few days later: I witnessed the events of September 29, 2012, in Moyock.
301 That Arney’s rage: Interview with Arney on February 2, 2013.
304 The properties he stubbornly: The quote is from a phone interview with Arney on March 6, 2013.
305 He orders parts for the Chevy: I witnessed the events of February 9, 2013, in Moyock.
308 If there’s a happy sidebar: I witnessed this exchange on February 2, 2013.
310 So things seem back: I received the text on March 9, 2013.
310 Slick’s party proves: Notes from the birthday party of March 12, 2013, at Havana.
311 We’ll not get bogged down: I was present in the courtroom for Arney’s testimony on March 26, 2013.
312 Later, in a long, late-night: The phone conversation occurred on May 7, 2013.
313 I certainly wondered: Krista showed me into Arney’s home office on February 10, 2013.
316 Arney and Skinhead arrive: I witnessed the events of May 11, 2013.
320 An hour before dawn: I witnessed the events of June 28, 2013.
324 Arney has told me: The quote is from my intervie
w with Arney of May 7, 2013.
325 His arrival at Norfolk’s: I witnessed Arney’s sentencing on July 22, 2013.
326 Martin notes that the court: Arney supplied me with Ryan’s letter, from which I quoted more than Martin did.
328 “There, on the truck”: The reunion took place on Saturday, July 27, 2013. The telephone conversation I mention occurred on July 18, 2013.
330 I stroll among the guests: Interview with Alan Wilson in June 2013.
330 I also knew not to expect: Interview with Mary Ricketts, February 14, 2005.
331 Most recently, I called her: Wood and Hill interviews. Ricketts died May 22, 2011. Her obituary appeared in the Virginian-Pilot on June 8, 2011. The memorial I describe took place three days later.
331 I notice Dave Marcincuk: The quote is from my interview with Marcincuk of July 19, 2013.
333 Bill Taliaferro called him: Arney interview of July 23, 2013.
333 I’ve often seen the wagon’s: Telephone interview with Al Godsey on July 29, 2013.
About the Author
Journalist EARL SWIFT has written five books, including The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways (2011). Since 2012 he has been a residential fellow of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities at the University of Virginia.
WWW.EARLSWIFT.COM
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Also by Earl Swift
Journey on the James
Where They Lay: Searching for America’s Lost Soldiers
The Tangierman’s Lament
The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and
Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways
Credits
Cover design by Amanda Kain
Cover photograph © Tim Gainey / Alamy
Author photograph by Saylor Denney
Copyright
AUTO BIOGRAPHY. Copyright © 2014 by Earl Swift. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Footnotes
Chapter 7
* For those readers who feel lost amid automotive specs, let me step in here. An engine’s size is measured not by its outer dimensions, but by what’s inside. Most engines have within them four, six, or eight cylinders, which are smooth-walled spaces in which a snug-fitting piston slides back and forth. It’s in these cylinders that a mix of gasoline and air is pressurized and touched off by a spark to create an explosion, and it’s such explosions that blow the pistons down their cylinders and, through linkages called connecting rods, cause the engine’s crankshaft to spin; that spinning shaft connects to other components to move the car. The portion of a cylinder through which the piston sweeps is called its displacement. Take that volume, multiply it by the number of cylinders, and you get the engine’s size in cubic inches (265, 283, 350, and so on), liters (e.g., 1.4, 1.8, and 2.5), or cubic centimeters, which nowadays are mostly used to describe motorcycle engines (e.g., 750, 1000, 1200, etc.).
Chapter 8
* In court on September 14, 1988, an opposing attorney suggested Arney was lying when he said he’d slapped his adversaries unconscious, that surely it couldn’t have happened that way. “How about I slap you,” an annoyed Arney growled, “and show you how it’s done?” The judge warned Bill Taliaferro that if he didn’t control his client, he’d hold both of them in contempt.
Chapter 10
* The last offense came during a 1983 Christmas party at which Arney says he “had a couple of Bloody Marys,” then was approached by a young woman. “She said, ‘Tommy, I have a Christmas present for you. It’s out in my car.’ ” He followed her out. She insisted that he open the present on the spot. They were both arrested.
† Let the record show that despite this story, Arney professes to like dogs. His household now includes two Yorkshire terriers, Lexi and Levi. A few years ago, Ashlee accidentally dropped Levi on his head. The animal appeared to be dead; Arney says the dog’s “pupils were dilated and fixed.” He performed mouth-to-mouth on the creature and revived it.
Chapter 17
* Arney isn’t inclined to relax his prices, despite the worsening situation. Consider a scene typical of the period, in which two young men in crew cuts enter the showroom on a Friday in mid-May to ask about a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle outside.
Arney: “It’s four thousand.”
Young man, disenchanted: “Oooh.”
Arney: “Runs great. It’s in great shape.”
Young man, looking doubtful: “It’s been sitting there awhile.”
Arney: “And it’s going to be sitting there until somebody gives me four thousand dollars.”
(Laughter.)
“Let me tell you, I’ve had a lot of people try to give me thirty-five hundred for that car, [or] three thousand. But the fucked-up thing is that bitch is paid for, so it can sit there from now until—look, let me tell you a story. There was a guy who’d come in here and look at a car every year. The car was four thousand dollars. He’d come in here every year and offer me thirty-five hundred. I’d say, ‘No. It’s four thousand.’ He’d say, ‘Sell it to me for thirty-five hundred.’
“ ‘No. It’s four thousand.’ This guy even had other people call for him, offering thirty-five hundred. He’d come with his wife. His wife would sit in their truck, a little Ford Ranger, while he walked the lot. And she asked him: ‘Why don’t you just pay the man what he wants? Because what’s going to happen is somebody else is going to buy that car, and then you’ll be all upset.’
“Well, somebody bought the car. The guy shows up and he says, ‘What have you done with my car?’ And I said to him: ‘It ain’t your car. You never agreed to pay me the four thousand dollars.’ ” (Pause.) “You fellows in the navy?”
Young man: “Coast guard.”
Arney: “Oh, you are? Where? In Portsmouth?”
Young man: “Elizabeth City.” A huge installation a half hour to the southwest.
Arney, getting back to the VW: “Well, you can drive that motherfucker right to fucking Elizabeth City.”
Young man: “Yeah.” (Laughs.) “You can.”
Chapter 18
* Arney to customer, as they step out of the Quonset: “Let me walk outside with you, and I’ll help you understand.”
> Customer: “I don’t need to understand, really.”
Arney: “Really, I think you do. Because otherwise, when I said, ‘It’s twenty-five hundred dollars,’ you’d have said, ‘I’ll take it.’ ”