Whitney Young Park in Lexington, Kentucky, is a family-friendly destination with beautiful green spaces and a new playground. March 31, 2026, was a typical Tuesday at the park until 40-year-old Kathryn Johnston arrived. The woman allegedly drove into the park, but instead of stopping her car, she reportedly attempted to run over several pedestrians, including an 8-year-old child. Luckily, no one was hurt, but Johnston wasn’t finished quite yet. She had more stops on her mini crime spree.
Johnston apparently drove extremely erratically.
According to court documents obtained by Lex 18, the Lexington Police Department received multiple calls about a woman driving through the park and doing donuts on the grass and in parking lots. While at the park, she allegedly tried to hit multiple people with her vehicle. They tried to flee, but she allegedly followed them out of the park.
When police arrived, Johnston allegedly sped away.
A Lexington woman faces multiple charges, including wanton endangerment and burglary, after police say she drove through a park, attempted to hit pedestrians with her car, and broke into a home on March 31. Details below. https://t.co/QBkVLzFzdv
— ABC 36 News (@ABC36News) April 2, 2026
As the pedestrians, including the 8-year-old, walked out of the park, Johnston drove on the sidewalk and apparently tried to hit them, per a police report. The victims ran onto someone’s lawn to avoid her. Johnston apparently became spooked when police showed up, so she drove away at high speed.
While trying to ditch the police, she continued a pattern of reckless driving.
A Lexington woman faces multiple charges, including wanton endangerment and burglary, after police say she drove through a park, attempted to hit pedestrians with her car, and broke into a home on March 31. Details below. https://t.co/QBkVLzFzdv
— ABC 36 News (@ABC36News) April 2, 2026
Per Lex 18, the witness told police that Johnston sped through the area. She allegedly ran a car off the road and nearly hit a group of children playing on the side of the road. When she eventually stopped the vehicle, instead of running away, Johnston continued her crime spree by entering a stranger’s residence and reportedly threatening to beat up the residents.
Johnson’s alleged behavior got a lot of attention.
“This woman sped through my neighborhood trying to hit everyone and everything in her path!!! Kids were everywhere outside this day including mine and it made me sick to my stomach at the thought of one of them getting hit!!” one person shared on Facebook.
But others tried to make it into a sick joke. “She’s just doing what most of us really want to do, but don’t have the balls to do it,” a comment on the Lex 18 post reads.
Police ultimately arrested her.
It will likely come as no surprise, but police said when they tried to arrest Johnston, she resisted. She repeatedly kicked police officers and threatened to spit on them. Officers eventually handcuffed and arrested her, Lex 18 reported. She allegedly admitted to police that she had used crack cocaine that day and did not have a license.
Johnson faces a slew of charges, including wanton endangerment, driving on a DUI-suspended license, reckless driving, having no moped operator’s license, burglary, terroristic threat, menacing, and resisting arrest, per Lex 18.
Seriously, how many times do we have to say that drugs are bad?
