What ‘wide neck guy’ looks like now eight years after his mugshot went viral around the world

There's been an update on the convict who went viral back in 2018 for having a wider-than-average neck.

If you were online eight years ago, there's a high chance that you'd have seen the man known as the 'wide neck guy'.

His nearly unbelievably sized neck did the rounds across social media platforms, but unlike the handsome Jeremy Meeks, this convict didn't benefit from the newfound fame.

Charles Dion McDowell enjoyed some fame after his mugshot did the rounds, as the snap looked like he had strictly done neck workouts over the course of decades.

Having first been booked into Escambia County Jail in Florida on charges of drug possession and fleeing from police in 2018, he hasn't been able to escape trouble with the law in years since.

McDowell first took advantage of his fame by posting a video with 'Daddy Long Neck', a rapper with one of the widest necks, in 2019.

Together, they made a rap song appropriately called 'Neckst Big Thing', accumulating over six million views on YouTube.

But, where is McDowell now?

Charles Dion McDowell went viral for this mugshot back in 2018. Credit: Escambia County Sheriff's Office

What has Charles McDowell done in recent years?

McDowell has been arrested for drug offences and evading police officers over the years, while also enjoying over 860,000 followers on Instagram.

Despite his Instagram bio claiming that 'I ain't ever going back to that life', he has been in trouble with the law several times over the years.

Back in 2018, McDowell was allegedly involved in a police chase, while also being arrested for possession of meth, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug equipment.

He would pay a $57,000 bond before being released, though he would reportedly be involved in a high-speed chase with Alabama cops just two years later, as per Fox 26.

McDowell would be charged with further offences, which involved reckless driving, driving with a revoked license, eluding police, second-degree marijuana possession, and improper lane usage.

Fast forward to August 2022, police issued a warrant for his arrest after it was said that he showed up at a woman's house and sent her threatening messages.

In 2025, he faced several felonies, one of which included furnishing obscene material to a minor.

As reported by TMZ, it was said that the convict was accused of sending sexually explicit videos of a woman to her 13-year-old son, 16-year-old daughter, mother, and an unnamed individual.

They said McDowell used a phone and laptop to send videos to those involved on several occasions.

McDowell was being held behind bars without bond in 2025. Credit: Cherokee County Sheriff's Office

Suggestions that his 'wide neck' was due to health condition

McDowell spoke to LADbible in 2019, where he was asked if his unusually wide neck was due to a medical condition.

He answered: "It ain't no medical condition. It was just my neck. I can't figure it out.

"I ain't gone to the doctor's or nothing for it. I honestly don't know."

He explained that his neck wasn't that large as a kid, but he 'grew into it', claiming: "My granddad's got a wide neck but his neck ain't like mine."

One can only imagine how it could have looked in his younger years.

Featured image credit: Escambia County Sheriff's Office