PRESTONSBURG, KY — A Pike County man will spend 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in a Floyd County case tied to a deadly 2024 crash on Ky. 114 in Prestonsburg. The sentence comes from a mediated agreement connected to the death of 17-year-old Kayla Elam of Salyersville.
Floyd Circuit Judge Johnny Ray Harris imposed the punishment on Sept. 4, following the recommendation of the office of Floyd Commonwealth’s Attorney Brent Turner. Keith Anderson, 45, of Ky. 1056 in Pinsonfork, received prison terms on two felony counts that will be served one after the other.
Anderson was also ordered to serve a brief jail term on a DUI charge in the same case. Court records say he was taken to the Floyd County Detention Center to begin serving the sentence.
Judge follows plea recommendation in Floyd Circuit Court
Court documents show Harris sentenced Anderson to 10 years for first-degree manslaughter and five years for first-degree wanton endangerment. Because the terms are consecutive, the total sentence adds up to 15 years.
Anderson will be eligible for parole after serving 85% of the sentence, according to the court filings. The three-day jail term for second-offense DUI will run at the same time as the prison sentence.
The punishment reflects a mediated plea agreement rather than a trial verdict. Records say the deal was reached with the participation of Elam’s family members and Kenny Auxier, the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash.
How the Oct. 6, 2024 crash unfolded on Ky. 114
Kentucky State Police said Post 9 received a report of a two-vehicle wreck on Oct. 6, 2024, along Ky. 114 in Prestonsburg. Investigators determined Anderson was driving a 2010 Honda Insight when it crossed the centerline and hit a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt.
Auxier was behind the wheel of the Cobalt. Elam was a passenger in that car and was taken to Highlands Regional ARH after the collision.
Authorities said Anderson and Auxier were both transported to medical facilities for treatment. Elam later died from injuries suffered in the crash.
Kayla Elam's death shaped the plea deal
Elam was 17 and lived in Salyersville. Her death was the fatal outcome that drove the manslaughter case and the endangerment charge in Floyd Circuit Court.
The court paperwork says the negotiated sentence was reached with family input, making the agreement more than a routine plea. It also included Auxier, who was directly involved in the wreck and was one of the people injured.
That kind of mediated resolution can avoid a trial while still producing a prison sentence. In this case, the final judgment closed the Floyd County prosecution, even though Anderson still has another drunk-driving case pending in neighboring Pike County.
Separate Pike County DUI case remains active
The Floyd County sentence does not end Anderson’s legal problems. Court records say he also faces a DUI case in Pike County stemming from an arrest about a month before he was indicted in the Floyd County crash case.
In that matter, Pikeville Police Officer Casey Kendrick said he responded to several complaints about a reckless driver and found Anderson behind the wheel of a 2015 Nissan Rogue. Kendrick wrote that the SUV sat at a green light for an extended period, drifted across the centerline and made an improper turn into the Pikeville Parking Garage.
The citation says Anderson showed signs of intoxication during field sobriety tests. Kendrick also said officers found a quantity of a green, leafy substance believed to be marijuana.
What happens next in the Pike County case
The Pike County matter has not been resolved. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for March 15, according to the court schedule.
That hearing will determine the next steps in the separate DUI prosecution, which is being handled independently from the Floyd County crash case. For now, Anderson remains in custody after the 15-year sentence imposed in Prestonsburg.
Between the two cases, the records show a crash that left a teenager dead, two drivers injured and one defendant facing punishment in one county while still awaiting a hearing in another.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
