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September 16, 2008

Today’s date is September 16, 2008, time now is 1539 hours. My name is Detective
Terry Jones, my Code Number is 6354. I’m with the Louisville Metro Police Department. This
interview pertains to File #08-197; it is a death investigation involving victim Max Gilpin. This
interview is being conducted at 9916 Appollo Lane, and we are at the home of, I’m at the,
presently at the home of Mr. Joshua uh, Lightle (inaudible)…, that’s right. And, uh, this
interview is being tape recorded.

Jones Uh, Mr. Lightle can you identify yourself?

Lightle My name is Joshua Steven Lightle.

Jones And, your date of birth?

Lightle
Jones And, your address?

Lightle 9916 Appollo Lane.

Jones And, phone number?

Lightle
Jones Are you aware this interview is being taped?

Lightle Yes.

Jones Does it meet with your approval?


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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

Lightle Yes.

Jones Okay. At this time I would ask you to refer


back to August 20th, 2008. At which time the
Pleasure Ridge Park uh, High School uh,
football team was playing. Was practicing
football and you were a coach, correct?

Lightle Correct.

Jones Okay. And, uh, just elaborate on what occurred


that day during practice?

Lightle Okay. We watched film and lifted weights. Uh,


came out went through team stretching. Went
to team take offs, had a water break. Had a
individual period uh, had a water break after
that? And, then went to a 7 on 7 period, where
the defensive line and offensive line met up.
And, uh, just ran plays against each other. And,
then had a water break, and then started our
conditioning period.

Jones Okay. And, the conditioning period is, is on


field uhm, conditioning?

Lightle Right, right.

Jones Okay. But, you stated that the start of the


practice was consisted of watching films, and
weight training, which was inside?

Lightle That’s right.

Jones Okay. And, outside condition uh, condition uh,


conditioning consisted of physical drills, or, or
running?

Lightle Uh, the conditioning period consisted of the


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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

gassers, is what we call it.

Jones Okay.

Lightle It’s across the field and back, across the field
and back.

Jones Okay. And, what is your position at P…,


Pleasure Ridge Park, what do you do there?

Lightle I’m, I’m uh, football coach, I’ma substitute


teacher with Jefferson County Public Schools,
so.

Jones Okay. And, uh, what position I mean what uh,


particular coach are you, in relation to the
players?

Lightle I’m a freshman and I help out with the


defensive line.

Jones Varsity?

Lightle Fresh, yeah varsity and JV defensive line.

Jones Okay.

Lightle Freshmen defensive line. We all gotta stay


together.

Jones Okay. So, uh, if you would continue about


what e…, uh, whatever conditioning you did
on the field if anything?

Lightle Uhm, with the defensive line and individual


period, we go through some uh, just quick
work drills? It could be considered
conditioning, I guess. Uh, it’s basically they do
foot work drills for about 10 yards, and then
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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

jog through another 10 yards. And, that’s


pretty much all we do, and individual.
Sometimes we go to the uh, sled, which is just
hittin’ the sled.

Jones All right.

Lightle One group goes then another group goes.

Jones Okay. So, you mentioned groups, are groups


all, is the team broken into certain groups?

Lightle Uh, we do 4 lines, we have 4 lines of players,


we usually have say anywhere from 16 to uh,
20 players a day.

Jones Okay.

Lightle So.

Jones And, and uh, now offensive is divided into


offensive players, and defense to defensive
players?

Lightle Right. You go to, in individual periods you go


into your, with your.

Jones Okay.

Lightle With your position.

Jones Position, whatever position.

Lightle Whatever position.

Jones Okay. And, that particular day what positions


did you, were you in charge of?

Lightle Uhm, I was, I wasn’t in charge of the group,


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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

but I was with the defensive line so.

Jones Okay. And, the defensive line did the


individual.

Lightle Individual workout, yeah.

Jones Okay. But, as a team, the team ran gassers,


right, as a team?

Lightle Right, as a team.

Jones Okay. And, were they timed gassers?

Lightle No, they were not timed.

Jones Okay. And, uh, gasser is another word for


conditioning?

Lightle Right. It’s a ti…, it’s a form of run, it’s across


the field and back, across and (inaudible)…

Jones Is it width or length, or width, width of the


field?

Lightle Yes, across the width of the field and back


twice.

Jones Okay. And, where were you positioned at at


the time gassers were being ran?

Lightle I was on the starting line, in between the


freshmen and, and varsity.

Jones And, the starting line would’ve been where?

Lightle Uh.

Jones As it relates to the soccer field?


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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

Lightle Closest to the soccer field.

Jones It’s closest to the soccer field?

Lightle Right.

Jones Okay. And, you were between the varsity and


freshmen?

Lightle Right.

Jones Okay. And, where the players, you said they


had already taken a water break prior to
running?

Lightle Right.

Jones Drills?

Lightle Right, they had had a few water breaks before.

Jones And, what time do you think the, the last water
break was?

Lightle Uhm, I’d say around 5:40.

Jones Okay. And, soon after that, that’s when the


gassers started?

Lightle Right.

Jones Okay. But, when the team is uh, its water,


getting water prior to running of gassers? They
walk over as a team or as individuals or how
did he?

Lightle That day we were in the 7 odd 7 period, so the


offensive line and defensive line went. And,
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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

the backs and defensive back or the receivers


and defensive backs went. But, they collec…,
they all ended up as a team over there and
coming back as a team, so.

Jones Okay.

Lightle We sent ‘em in two groups, they came back in


one.

Jones All right. Uh, how, how long, how many


gassers were ran before uh, any equipment was
taken off?

Lightle I believe it was 8.

Jones About 8?

Lightle Um-hum.

Jones Okay. And, during this time period the helmets


removed, or after that, that time?

Lightle After that the helmets.

Jones Okay.

Lightle Just the helmets came off.

Jones Okay.

Lightle They ran a couple more; I’m not sure how


many they ran after that. Uh, I think it was, it
was either 1 or 2, it’s probably 2, I’d say 2.

Jones Then they remove (inaudible)…

Lightle They removed the shoulder pads.


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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

Jones Okay.

Lightle And, ran 2 more.

Jones Okay. So, how many total uh, gassers you


think that the uh, team ran?

Lightle I’d, 12.

Jones Okay. And, how long did it take how, how,


what’s the time frame of, of the gassers, how
long did?

Lightle Uh?

Jones Were they running?

Lightle Probably 35 to 40 minutes, they went in 2


groups, so.

Jones Okay. Uhm, at the time of the gassers did you


uh, witness any players becoming ill?

Lightle No.

Jones Okay. And, did you learn, later learn that


players had got ill?

Lightle Yes, I did see Calloway being walked off the


field uh.

Jones He was wa…, he was just.

Lightle Just walking.

Jones Being assisted?

Lightle Being assisted off the field, he was breathing


hard. Uh, they were taking him to water, so.
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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

Jones Did you recall anyone else uh, not that you,
you said you (inaudible)… But, you later
learned that (inaudible)…, got ill?

Lightle Right, at, at the team meeting after


conditioning uh, I learned that Max had
become ill. And, uh, saw him being loaded
onto the gator, taken to water, so.

Jones And, the gator is a cart, right.

Lightle Like, it’s like a golf cart.

Jones Uh-huh.

Lightle And, it’s John Deere.

Jones Okay. And, he was being carted over to the


water?

Lightle Right.

Jones Okay. And, the water area is where, as it relates


to the soccer field or?

Lightle Uh, the sh…, it’s at the, the end of the soccer
field, near the soccer score board.

Jones Near the soccer score board?

Lightle Right.

Jones Okay.

Lightle I’d say it’s probably 60 yards from where the


team was meeting.

Jones Okay. Now, during the uh, before the gassers


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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

you said you were uh, you like basically took


the freshmen and defensive line. And, kind of
went over drills?

Lightle Yeah, we went, before the gassers we were


with the offensive line. Just, we were lined up
as a defense and they were lined up as an
offense running drills against us, so.

Jones Okay. What does Max play on a d…, if Max,


is Max a defense or offensive player?

Lightle Offensive player.

Jones And, he would’ve been with another, a


different coach at the time?

Lightle Right.

Jones Okay.

Lightle We were in the same group as a collective


group, but his position coaches were with him.

Jones Now, who is his position coach?

Lightle Uhm, Adam Donnelly and Jason Cook.

Jones Okay, okay. So, just reiterate what we talked


about that. You stated that the uh, the training
day consisted of watching films, and weight
conditioning? Inside the facility, inside the
weight room. Uh, and on field team drills,
correct?

Lightle Correct.

Jones As well as uhm, how many water breaks did


you get, I’m sorry?
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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

Lightle Uhm, they had chances to get water between


film and weight room, so there’s 1. Between
weight room and practice, there’s 2. After team
take offs, is 3. After individual is 4. So, I’d say
they got 5 that day, ‘cause they had one after
the 7 on 7, right.

Jones At least 5?

Lightle Right, at least 5.

Jones Now, nobody monitors these guys when they


get the water, make sure they even get enough
water, right?

Lightle Right. We make sure that they’re over by the


water, the water fountain.

Jones Okay.

Lightle And, they’re instructed day in and day out.

Jones Drink plenty water.

Lightle Drink water, waters, waters everything.

Jones Okay. And, is uhm.

Lightle And, we do make sure they that everybody’s


off the field at the watering fountain.

Jones Okay.

Lightle So.

Jones Okay. So, prior to the gassers everyone


should’ve had water?
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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

Lightle Right.

Jones To your knowledge?

Lightle Right.

Jones And, but you, you would, can really likely say
no one’s over there making ‘em drink water.
They just instructed to get water during a water
breaks?

Lightle Right.

Jones Okay. So, if a player took maybe a little bit, or


maybe if a player took more? No one would
m…, be able to monitor that, that’s just on their
own to hydrate themselves. And, come back to
the field, is that the way it’s, it’s progr…, uh,
it’s?

Lightle Well, they’re directed over to the water


fountain, and uh, I mean there’s no way to
really tell how much.

Jones Right.

Lightle There’s about 20 holes on the.

Jones Okay.

Lightle On the fountain, so they’re all.

Jones But, they’re instructed to go hydrate


themselves?

Lightle Right.

Jones Okay.
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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

Lightle Right. And, they’re given plenty of time to do


that, so.

Jones Okay. How long are they given?

Lightle Usually about 5 or 5 to 7 minutes I’d say.

Jones Okay, okay. Did you learn of any other players


becoming ill after the uh, gassers?

Lightle Uhm, the only two that I knew of were


Calloway and Max.

Jones Okay.

Lightle Gilpin.

Jones Okay. And, how long you been a coach at?

Lightle This is my first year.

Jones First year, okay. I don’t think I have anything


else. You have anything else I didn’t add,
anything that we left out?

Lightle Uh?

Jones Anything important that we didn’t cover?

Lightle No, that’s, that’s.

Jones Okay.

Lightle All I got.

Jones All right, sir we’ll go off tape. Time now is


1550 hours.
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Statement: Joshua Lightle/ Case #08197(k)
September 16, 2008

END OF STATEMENT

File #08197kjones-dl

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