Article Summary
An American man, Patrick Lutts Jr., who was facing manslaughter charges in Orlando, Florida, was arrested in Toronto after 21 years on the run. He was living in Canada without legal status. Lutts was accused of causing a fatal crash in 1998 resulting in the deaths of two teenagers due to impaired driving. An anonymous tip in 2023 led to his arrest, as he had allegedly been residing in a Toronto high-rise apartment building.
What This Means for You
- Be aware of the long-arm jurisdiction of the law: even if you flee to another country, you cannot escape charges indefinitely.
- Impaired driving is a serious offense with severe consequences, including loss of life and lengthy prison sentences.
- Canada and the United States have a strong extradition treaty, ensuring fugitives are returned to face justice.
- Anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers can lead to the apprehension of fugitives, highlighting the importance of community collaboration in law enforcement.
- Future outlook: as technology improves, so does the ability to track down fugitives, increasing the likelihood of prosecution for crimes committed.
Original Post
An American man who had been on the run for over two decades was arrested in Toronto earlier this year, police said.
Patrick Lutts Jr., facing manslaughter charges in Orlando, Florida, in connection to a fatal crash, lived openly in Toronto for 21 years without legal status, according to court documents cited by CBS News partner Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (<a href=”CBC News” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>CBC News).
Toronto police told CBS News that Lutts was arrested in February under the Canadian Extradition Act. He is set to appear in a downtown court later this month, according to CBC News.
In November 2023, an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers in Florida led authorities to suspect Lutts of being in Canada, according to court documents reported by CBC News, which was the first to report his arrest. Lutts was placed under surveillance, and police discovered he was residing in a high-rise apartment building in Toronto.
On the early morning of Christmas Day in 1998, Lutts, who was then 25 years old, allegedly crashed into a vehicle in Orlando, resulting in the deaths of two teenagers: 19-year-old Nancy Lopez and her boyfriend, 18-year-old Darvin Javier DeJesus-Taboada, CBC News reported, citing investigators.
Investigators said the couple was thrown several meters after Lutts, who had “a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath” following a night of drinking, crashed his pickup truck into their vehicle. His blood alcohol level was allegedly more than three times the legal limit, CBC News reported.
Lutts was allegedly involved in another impaired driving crash in Connecticut in 2002, CBC News reported, citing court files. He failed to appear for a plea hearing in October 2003, public records show, before disappearing until his recent arrest in Toronto, CBC News reported.
Key Terms
- Extradition
- Fugitive
- Manslaughter
- Impaired driving
- Long-arm jurisdiction
- Crime Stoppers
- Canadian Extradition Act
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