HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The man convicted in two cases from last year who entered pleas was sentenced Monday by District Judge Tim Chambers.
Scott Lutz was convicted of a felony charge of arson and two misdemeanors in one case, and felony flee and elude and possession of stolen property in another. He was sentenced to just over seven years in prison.
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. The state attempted to get the agreement set aside, but that was denied by Judge Chambers who then sentenced Lutz to half the sentence the state was recommending, which they believe was part of the agreement that would have called for around 11 years in prison.
The first case goes back to Oct. 8, 2014, when he led law enforcement on a high-speed chase that 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, 2014, 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.
Lutz will also get credit for time served while waiting for disposition in the two cases.