Commonwealth Attorney could not comment on ‘what may be a pending case, investigation’

BY LISA STAYTON
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PILGRIM — Videos surfaced last week on Facebook showing two Martin County constables beating and dragging a man after they captured him onto the ground and cuffed his hands behind his back.

Two videos show Martin County District 4 constable Bradford Preece and District 2 constable Tony Preece arresting Nathaniel Maynard, 27, of Lovely, at a residence on South Wolf Creek Road in Pilgrim.

Maynard’s arrest was Jan. 29, 2021, the same date that appears on the videos.

The Martin Circuit Court dismissed all charges from Maynard’s arrest in April 2021 after Maynard spent over two months in jail.

Maynard, who is celebrating five months of being drug-free and currently works outside the county, said Friday that he was glad the videos came out, but he could not comment “at this time.”

His family members also were glad the videos surfaced.

“He told everyone the truth from day one, and nobody believed him because, as Tony Preece said, he was a ‘needle user,’” Maynard’s sister Amber Reed said. “This is proof. . . . Tony and Brad need self-control and to stop thinking it’s OK to beat people who aren’t even resisting. . . . Imagine it happening to your kids or family. You would be upset as well.”

The two videos contain no sound. The first, time-stamped 14:56:26, shows a woman standing on a porch speaking to a person walking on the public road in front of a residence. The woman leaves the porch, walks several feet on the lawn toward the road, and appears to point toward and speak to the same person. She then turns and goes inside the house as Maynard approaches the porch.

Maynard remains on the edge of the porch and speaks to the woman standing behind a closed glass storm door before turning his back to her and facing the road. The woman then opens the door and says something to Maynard, who turns to look at her, lifting both arms from his sides before clasping his hands behind his back.

About 10 seconds later, while Maynard still has his hands clasped behind him, constable Bradford Preece tackles Maynard from behind, taking him facedown to the concrete porch. Preece gets on top of Maynard with both knees and rabbit-punches the back of Maynard’s head four times with his right fist.

The first video ends at 14:57:31, and the second video begins around four minutes later at 15:01:23 with Bradford Preece and an unidentified man down on the concrete with Maynard. The woman is standing close to them with her back to the camera.

Three seconds into the video, constable Tony Preece runs across the porch and grabs Maynard, whose hands are cuffed behind his back, pulls him off the porch by his hoodie, and throws him onto his knees on the lawn. Tony Preece pushes Maynard’s face into the ground twice, jerks him around to face the opposite direction with Maynard still on his knees, and shoves his face into the ground again before finally dragging him across the lawn backward by his hoodie.

“They made it out that he beat the cops,” said Reed. “It’s obvious the cops beat him. . . . These 200-pound constables beating him is not OK. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your family to be treated this way. I don’t care if it’s a needle user or not. These cops need self-control, not a free pass to beat everyone. Honestly, seeing them do this to my brother makes me fear for my life because if they do it to one person, they’re going to do it to the rest.”

Maynard was charged with criminal trespassing, fleeing or evading police on foot, two counts of assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, menacing, and four counts of terroristic threatening. He was lodged at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center on a $10,000 bond. Jail records show he weighed 112 pounds at his booking.

Tony Preece says in his arrest report, “Constable Brad Preece seen [sic] subject collapsed in the middle of the road. When he approached subject, subject swung in the side of the head [sic] and then fled on foot as he advised subject to stop. Subject proceeded to flee on foot to unit 79 Brad Preece’s house and was trying to enter his house. I arrived and placed subject under arrest.”

The arrest report says Bradford Preece transported Maynard to Inez for processing.

“Unit 79 was transporting subject, and subject stated he was going to kill Sheriff John Kirk, Jimmy Robinson, Martin County Constable Brad Preece, Martin County Constable Tony Preece. When we arrived at the county courthouse, Martin County Deputy Jimmy Robinson was getting subject out of the car and subject kicked officer Robinson in the stomach.”

Maynard’s case was waived to the grand jury Feb. 2, 2021. Two months later, April 6, 2021, Martin Circuit Judge John David Preston released Maynard from jail due to the grand jury not indicting him within 60 days. Preston ordered “the law enforcement officer of record” to appear May 6, 2021, to show cause why the case against Maynard should not be dismissed. The judge dismissed the case May 7, 2021, as neither constable showed up.

Bradford Preece responded to the video in a Facebook post, saying Maynard came from a neighboring house, “was extremely impaired and later admitted he had been shooting up.” He says Maynard hit him on the side of his head and fled toward Preece’s house, where his wife was in the yard. Bradford Preece says his wife told Maynard to get off the property, and “he went toward her.”

“She again told him to leave and he went on the porch and she ran inside. During this time I was getting in my cruiser and turning it around. He was at the door of my house yelling at my wife. I pulled my vehicle in the driveway, exited and ran to [the] porch to place him under arrest. I tackled him and due to him being high/impaired from shooting up, he was extremely belligerent and, yes, I did punch him 2 or 3 times.”

Bradford Preece says Maynard tried to spit on Tony Preece, who was not wearing a mask.

Tony Preece also responded on Facebook, saying he would be more than happy to explain what went on. He says, “There is no sound to the video, and there is [sic] people standing where you can’t see what’s going on. . . .”

Reed says the situation could have been managed better.

“There was absolutely no need for Brad to be punching him multiple times or for Tony to throw him or even drag him to the car by his hood,” said Reed.

Commonwealth Attorney Anthony Skeans, who saw the videos, said he could not comment “on what may be a pending case or investigation.”