A 24-year-old Lakewood man faces 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in February for a crime spree in Jefferson County last spring. On January 29, Justin Kyle Kautz pled guilty to First Degree Burglary, Vehicular Eluding with Injury, First Degree Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft and Escape.
Kautz walked away from the community corrections facility where he lived, as a condition of his parole, on August 1, 2007. Eight months later, Kautz and his girlfriend Cheri Hall were at the Arvada Municipal Building when they were recognized by police officers who were aware that there was a warrant for his arrest for Escape.
Arvada officers began following Kautz, who was driving a stolen vehicle. The pursuit continued into Wheat Ridge and officers from the Wheat Ridge Police Department joined in. While eluding police, traveling over 80 mph in a 40 mph zone, Kautz hit a car. The collision did not stop Kautz. It damaged the other vehicle, but fortunately did not seriously injure the driver. Kautz continued eluding officers until he crashed into a parked vehicle. In that collision Cheri Hall was seriously injured and trapped inside the vehicle. Kautz left her there and ran away on foot.
Kautz broke into a nearby apartment but was located by SWAT officers a short time after. He held officers in a standoff for two hours before surrendering to police.
Kautz will be sentenced on February 17, 2009.
