HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The man convicted in two cases from last year who entered pleas was scheduled for sentencing again Friday, however, the defendant doesn’t want to change his plea.
Scott Lutz at one point was charged with aggravated arson, but as part of a plea agreement, he entered a plea to arson, a level five felony when it should have been a level six. Senior Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell told the court that the state wants to set aside the agreement and schedule the case for trial.
His attorney, Steve Osburn, told the judge he thought there should be a hearing. Judge Chambers agreed and stated they would schedule an evidentiary hearing telling the defendant it would be scheduled as soon as possible.
In the first case, Lutz entered “guilty pleas” to felony flee and elude and possession of stolen property. This case goes back to Oct. 8, 2014, when he led law enforcement on a high-speed chase which reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour. It was called off after Lutz passed a school bus and there was a concern on the part of law enforcement for public safety. He was last seen around 108th and Halstead in extreme northeast Reno County.
On Oct. 12, Hutchinson police got information that Lutz was hiding in an attic of a residence located at 415 East B. Officers responded to the home and established verbal contact with him, but he refused to comply and set a small fire in the attic. With the assistance of the Hutchinson Fire Department and the Reno County Sheriff’s Office, officers gained access to the attic and placed Lutz into custody without incident.
In that case, he entered pleas to arson, battery of a law enforcement officer and interference with law enforcement. This is the case holding up sentencing.
When we learn of a hearing on the issue, we’ll be there to cover it.