JOHNSON COUNTY MAN ARRESTED IN LAWRENCE COUNTY IN MID-SEPTEMBER ON DUI AND METH CHARGES; IDENTIFIED AS SAME MAN WHO CAUSED CRASH COLLISION DUI-RELATED DEATH OF WELL KNOWN LOUISA NATIVE IN OCTOBER 2013
SENTENCED TO TWENTY (20) YEARS IN PRISON, BUT PAROLED AFTER (7) YEARS; SKEANS WILL SEND CASE TO STATE PAROLE BOARD
OCTOBER 9, 2023 – written by WADE QUEEN
JOSHUA A. FITZPATRICK, 44 OF PAINTSVILLE, KY., WAS ARRESTED ON NINE (9) CHARGES IN LAWRENCE COUNTY ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2023; HE IS THE SAME MAN WHO KILLED LOUISA NATIVE KEITH MAYNARD IN A DUI COLLISION CRASH ON HIGHWAY 644 OUTSIDE THE BULLDOGS FOOTBALL FIELD AREA & THREE RIVERS MEDICAL CENTER ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013.
A Johnson County man who was arrested during the middle of last month in Lawrence County has been identified by individuals contacting The Levisa Lazer that the man is the same man who killed a well known man from Louisa in a DUI crash collision while he was fleeing while being chased by a state police trooper in October 2013.
• NO REGISTRATION RECEIPT,
• FAILURE TO PRODUCE INSURANCE CARD,
• FAILURE TO WEAR SEAT BELTS,
• OPERATING MOTOR VEHICLE UNDER/ INFLUENCE SUBSTANCE (189A.010(1C) – 1ST OFFENSE,
• FAILURE TO OR IMPROPER SIGNAL,
• POSSESSION CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE 1ST DEGREE, 1ST OFFENSE (METHAMPHETAMINE),
• DRUG PARAPHERNALIA – BUY/POSSESS,
• POSSESSION OF OPEN ALCOHOL BEVERAGE CONTAINER IN MOTOR VEHICLE PROHIBITED,
• CARELESS DRIVING.
Joshua Fitzpatrick happens to be, according to relatives/friends who have contacted The Levisa Lazer.com, the same individual who caused an infamous police chase leading to a fatal DUI traffic collision in Louisa sixteen (16) days shy of the tenth anniversary of the vehicle homicide case.
On October 4, 2013, Joshua Fitzpatrick was involved in a domestic altercation with his mother in Paintsville, KY., whereupon he reportedly took his mother’s car, and fled from her residence.
Later, after a Be On Look Out (BOLO) alert was issued by law enforcement in the area, Kentucky State Police trooper Devon Cleaver was responding to KSP Post 14 Ashland, KY. dispatch, to 911 calls of a vehicle on US 23 in Lawrence County driving in a reckless manner.
Trooper Cleaver soon observed the vehicle driving erratically, later identified as being driven by Joshua Fitzpatrick, which then trooper Cleaver then attempted a traffic stop on the car.
Joshua Fitzpatrick then fled trooper Cleaver at a high rate of speed on US 23, then turned off onto Route 2565, speeding onwards, and he turned on to Highway 644.
In the vicinity between the Lawrence County High School football field and Three Rivers Medical Center, coming in from the opposite side of the road, where two motorcycles, one being driven by Amy Bradley Maynard, and behind her on the other motorcycle was her husband, Johnny Keither “Keith” Maynard, 40, both of Catlettsburg, KY., who had attended the football game, due to it being the ceremonial annual homecoming game.
Johsua Fitzpatrick suddenly came at them at high speed on their side of the road. Amy was able at the last second to swerve away from being hit; but Keith was not able to do so in time, and Joshua Fitzpatrick crashed the car into the side of Keiths motorcycle, knocking him airborne and landing in the roadway ditch.
Keith Maynard suffered several major injuries, the worst being that his foot and ankle were severed completely from his leg. Even though he was just less than fifty (50) yards from the hospital, first responders were unable to save his life, and he perished at the scene.
What makes it worse about this tragedy is that the people who were in charges at Huntington West Virginia TV news station WSAZ, interviewed a man who was attempting to help Keith Maynard, and in a morbid move, recorded and played what the man said what was happening, giving gruesome accounts of how the state of condition and injuries that Keith was in, what he was saying which were was his last dying words. This angered Keith Maynard’s family, his wife Amy Maynard and her family, along with many in our local community, at the very distasteful action of that TV interview.
Joshua Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to the main charges in the case in 2014, to which one of them was that of being a persistent felony offender l, and was sentenced to twenty years in state prison, but Joshua Fitzpatrick was released from prison via parole after only serving seven years.
The Levisa Lazer began contacting various law enforcement officials about the conditions of Joshua Fitpatrick’s parole and or probation, and though today, Monday, October 9, was a federal holiday, and all government offices closed, we were able to get a response from Commonwealth Attorney Tony Skeans, about the status conditions imposed on for Joshua Fitzpatrick parole:
“That would be a question that the parole board would answer. But I’ll see if I can get an answer from them for you. That was the guy on the motorcycle he wiped out at Three Rivers right?”
Mr. Skeans gave a further clarification when he responded with a second statement:
“My understanding this will result in him having to go back to the parole board. It will be their decision how to proceed. I’ll set a reminder for about two weeks and check in on it.”
Many in the local community will find it atrocious that someone who killed somebody, the well known and well liked Keith Maynard, while sentenced to to 20 years, but gets out of prison after serving only little more than a third of that imposed jail term, and then last month gets caught in our county driving while high on meth, and still had some more in his possession, and he could have easily again killed one or more people in his intoxicated state.
And also, oh yeah, Joshua Fitzpatrick is out on bond from his latest arrest on September 18.
I knew both Amy and Keith back in the day. Amy was my classmate, and Keith was one class above both of us. They were high school sweethearts who dated back then, but they broke up after high school. They both eventually got separately married to other spouses, they both eventually got divorced, reconnected years later, and got married to each other, and they were a happy married couple who thought they would be together for the rest of their lives.
Until a drunken man from Johnson County who was speeding away from police in his mother’s stolen car, ruined everything for them forever.
Amy Maynard repeatedly told numerous people after the crash that if she had known that Keith would not had been able to get out of the way of the speeding and got struck down, she would had instead, while she was being in front of Keith, would had sacrificed herself into getting hit by the car, in order to save her husband.
As we have seen little or no punishment through the past many years in Lawrence County, our neighboring counties and across the state of Kentucky.
(Editor’s Note: This story obviously contains the feelings and opinion of its author.)
This article is so poorly written and includes irrelevant and insensitive details. Someone needs to proofread these articles before they are published.
Editor: OKAY Mr. Peepers, you don’t like Wade’s style nor my editing. Got that…but here ya’ll are!
Agree. The specific details of the wreck did not need to be included. Very disrespectful to the family.
Never shows any dignity or compassion for the people involved in these stories either.
Admin sounds like they may be a little upset at your comment! You’re right thought! This article is very poorly written, and it sounds like someone inserted a lot of their personal feelings into it instead of just publishing the facts.
Granted. U don’t like all the info in this story. U also left out your name, isn’t that a no, no in a serious grammar class?
My name is Lynn. Are you upset by the fact that I think it’s poorly written or that I think personal feelings were inserted into the article. I can’t really tell by your comments.
Sad story. It shows how broken our system is. The criminal has more rights than the victims. He should still be in prison for one and he should be in there taking a sledgehammer making boulders to sand. Never should of been allowed to bond out. Disgraceful.
It amazes me that some would point out the article being poorly written, and not point out the subject of the article. The justice system is a complete joke. People need to hear the whole truth described in order to actually understand how horrible it is to have an individual kill a great guy, and the killer is out in 7 years? Are you kidding me? Arrested again for doing the same thing he did when he actually killed a man. Makes normal people mad as hell, and instead of being mad at the driver or situation, you point out the article for being too descriptive? Get real. Great article Wade, keep up the good work, and for Gods sake keep being descriptive, especially on a story and situation such as this. God Bless.
Also, can you imagine news organizations and reporters not being descriptive? Look at what is happening in Israel. Can you imagine the news organizations and reporters not being honest, descriptive and thorough?
This article was very not even facts. Read your story 1st before you copy and paste…. plus your FACTS ARE WRONG! This is a tragedy for their family no doubt. Josh served 10 yrs and there’s no parole officer for Mr. Skeens to speak with. These Facts and article are almost all wrong. Keep up in one part of the story he was paroled after seven yrs….wrong. Then you mention its the 10 yr anniversary should have given you a clue your fact was wrong. Sex crime and slime is what you want Mark well Wade is not killing it. Worse wrote article I’ve ever seen. Prayers for family
Well you first, should’ve had this “story” in an opinion heading. Too bad this article failed to stick with the facts and from the comments those “facts” are skewed. So does that make this fiction? In fact not news at all? Well, don’t get me wrong the basis of this is one tragedy after another, failed system what have you. He paid his debt
To society enough to be released conditional or not.
He’s intoxicated again driving (allegedly) and in possession of said drugs. Stick to the facts, those are found in the open records act. All the personal info is irrelevant (back to lack of editing). This story wouldn’t have made the tabloids let alone a reputable news source. In a society where we have to sift through the bs to get the facts, please have some integrity. Sad story, disappointing news, terrible reporting and complete disregard for editing. What a tangled web we weave……….
Anita, thanks for your opinion. Always good to hear from our faithful readers, critics or fans!
Wonder how Amy and Keith’s parents and family feel about him being paroled early, and his latest arrest. Reckon they feel justice was served? He obviously didn’t learn his lesson. Maybe it’ll be you or one of your loved ones he kills next.