A former NBC29 meteorologist is facing charges after he allegedly recorded a video of a consensual sex encounter and later extorted the victim.
Joshua W. Fitzpatrick, 42, of Charlottesville, was arrested on Tuesday in Ohio and is awaiting extradition to Virginia.
Fitzpatrick left NBC29 in early March, according to the TV station. He reportedly relocated to Ohio shortly after the investigation began on Feb. 28.
According to the Albemarle County Police Department, the sexual extortion investigation began after the victim reported an assault. The victim told police that after a consensual sexual encounter, they were extorted and threatened with the release of a video taken unknowingly and without their consent.
Detectives believe that there could be additional victims.
On April 9, the department obtained warrants for Fitzpatrick for felony sexual extortion and unlawful creation of image of another.
ACPD is asking anyone who may have had a sexual encounter with Fitzpatrick to contact Detective M. Schneider with ACPD’s criminal investigations division at (434) 296-5807.
Fitzpatrick’s background and career
According to Fitzpatrick’s LinkedIn profile, he was a meteorologist at NBC29, CW29 and WeatherNation in Charlottesville since 2017.
He also won the Best of Charlottesville TV Personality in 2018 and 2019 and was the winner of favorite local celebrity in The Daily Progress.
He previously worked at WSAZ-TV, an NBC affiliate in the Huntingon/Charleston West Virginia TV market for a decade, and WOAY-TV in the Oak Hill, Beckley and Bluefield, W.Va., market for more than three years.
Fitzpatrick has more than 128,000 followers on Facebook, an honor he claims puts him among the top 25 meteorologists in the nation on social media.
According to his Facebook bio, he was born in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, and grew up near Gallipolis, Ohio. Gallipolis is approximately 40 miles from Huntington, W.Va.
His last post on the platform was yesterday at noon. It featured a sunset.
Fitzpatrick is a 2005 graduate of Mississippi State University where he studied broadcast meteorology.
A look back: Radio host Kris Neil Losh
Fitzpatrick is not the first beloved media personality to shock the community with allegations of this nature.
Former WKDW radio host Kris Neil Losh was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2020 related to child pornography and aggravated sexual battery charges in connection with the abuse of two boys under the age of 13.
Share
Crystal Graham
