Man to face meth and drug charges after deputies respond to fiery crash

The Dubois County Sheriff’s Department charged Joshua Pate, 33, address unavailable, with several counts after responding to a vehicle fire on Holland Road NE early Friday morning.

According to deputies, they and the Holland Volunteer Fire Department responded to the report of a 1997 Ford F-150 off the road and on fire about a half mile south of County Road 750S at about 1:15 a.m. Deputies determined the truck had been eastbound on Holland Road NE and the driver failed to negotiate a curve in the road. The truck went off the road and struck an embankment before coming to rest.

When deputies arrived, the driver was not there and they could not find him. Then, at about 5:45 a.m., the department received a report of an unknown male in a garage at a residence on County Road 600W near County Road 1150S about 2 miles southwest of the crash.

According to police, they were told the man was obviously injured and had fled the area when confronted by the property owner.

The sheriff’s department’s K-9 officer and his dog, Judge, responded to track the suspect and located Pate in a woodline about 500 yards from the residence.

Pate had sustained a head injury in the crash. Memorial Hospital Emergency Medical Services and Holland Volunteer Fire Department first responders arrived at the scene to treat Pate before he was taken to Memorial Hospital by ambulance. Once at Memorial Hospital, Pate was transferred to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Evansville.

Pate will face a Class A misdemeanor count of driving while suspended with a prior conviction, two Class A misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and a Level 6 felony count of possession of Methamphetamine. He also will be cited for possession of paraphernalia.