HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A man charged with carjacking an elderly Kenova man has pleaded guilty to the crime.

Johnny Dale Fitzpatrick entered the plea Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Huntington.

In the plea agreement, Fitzpatrick admitted he pushed the 83-year-old Kenova man out of his van last June, then drove away.

Fitzpatrick told the judge, "He didn't remember if the van was moving, he was high on drugs, and didn't give it much thought."

The maximum sentence Fitzpatrick can get is 15 years in prison with no parole or appeal. He will be sentenced in April.

Fitzpatrick also faces state charges in Ohio and Kentucky. He is suspected of armed robberies in West Portsmouth, Inez and Ashland.

Police say WSAZ viewer tips helped identify the suspect after we showed surveillance shots from the Ashland store robbery.

Fitzpatrick was arrested in Columbus, Ohio; inside his car, police say they found an air gun, a steel pipe and two baseball bats.

At the time of his arrest, prosecutors said that Fitzpatrick was a well known criminal, having served time in prison for felony drug trafficking.