Joshua Jaynes, fired by Louisville police for lying on Breonna Taylor warrant, loses reinstatement bid

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Metro Police detective who was fired for his inaccurate search warrant for Breonna Taylor's apartment will not be reinstated, the city's Police Merit Board decided Wednesday.

The board voted 4-0 after hours of private deliberation following three days of hearings to uphold the termination of Joshua Jaynes, who was fired in early January for inserting what former interim Police Chief Yvette Gentry found to be an untruthful statement in his sworn affidavit.

Jaynes and his attorney, Thomas Clay, had tried to make a case for Jaynes' reinstatement, arguing the ex-detective did not lie on the affidavit he swore to in March 2020.

Clay said Jaynes would appeal the merit board's ruling.

"We’re going to have a court review it, and see if the court has a different interpretation of what the law says," Clay said.

In his sworn affidavit, Jaynes wrote he'd verified through a U.S. Postal Inspector that Taylor's ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, a suspected drug trafficker, was having packages delivered to her apartment. But Jaynes had actually spoken to another officer, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, who had gotten information from another police department, not the postal inspector.

'You can't cheat': Ex-chief stands firm on firing cop who took out Breonna Taylor warrant

Clay argued Jaynes did not have a responsibility to verify information from a fellow law enforcement officer before putting it in his affidavit.

And, Clay said, Jaynes had been told Glover was getting packages delivered – pointing out testimony to the state Attorney General's Office from Jaynes' partner, Kelly Hanna Goodlett.

"The fact is, the message that came back through the third party was no," Gentry said Tuesday.

Mayor Greg Fischer commended the merit board's upholding of Gentry's decision.

"Former Chief Yvette Gentry stepped into service at a very difficult time for our city, and then undertook a thorough and thoughtful review of this case. I supported her decision then, and I support it now," he wrote in a statement.

Jaynes is one of three officers fired in connection with Taylor's death, all of whom have filed appeals to the merit board.

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Myles Cosgrove, the officer found by the FBI to have fired the fatal shot, was also terminated in January. Brett Hankison was fired in June 2020 for firing into Taylor's apartment from outside through a window and an obscured screen door.

Cosgrove's hearing date has not yet been set. Hankison's hearing won't take place until after his criminal trial on three counts of wanton endangerment has concluded, likely in 2022.

Clay said Jaynes is having trouble making a living and "it's very disturbing. His prospects are not good."

Sam Aguiar, an attorney who represents Taylor's family, was less sympathetic, posting his feelings on the decision in one word.

"Bye."

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville police board upholds firing of ex-detective Joshua Jaynes