Florida man charged in 1998 crash that killed 2 arrested in Toronto

A man charged in a 1998 Christmas Day car crash in Orlando that killed two people has been arrested in Toronto after evading police south of the border for more than 20 years.

Toronto police confirmed to CTV News Toronto that former Orlando resident Patrick Lutts Jr. was taken into custody by the TPS Fugitive Squad on Feb. 26 on the strength of an arrest warrant issued under the Canadian Extradition Act.

On Dec. 25, 1998, court documents state that the 51-year-old was driving his car in Orlando at approximately 5:50 a.m. after a night of drinking with friends.

As Lutts attempted to make a left turn, the documents allege that he struck a vehicle that was being driven by Nancy Lopez and carrying Darvin J. DeJesus-Taboada. Both were unrestrained at the time of impact and ejected from the vehicle. Court documents indicate they both suffered fatal head injuries following the crash.

A passing car that was attempting to avoid the debris then struck Lutts and Lopez as he tried to “render aide” to her, according to an extradition application filed in Ontario Superior Court.

It is alleged that Lutts had a blood-alcohol level of .272 at the time of his arrest, a charging affidavit notes.

Lutts was charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter on March 23, 1999 and a warrant was issued for his arrest. However, U.S. authorities couldn’t locate him and he remained at large until June 27, 2002 when he was arrested in Manchester, Connecticut.

He was extradited back to Florida and pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charges. The Texas-born defendant posted a US$5,000 bail bond and was scheduled to stand trial on Oct. 1, 2003. Lutts failed to attend the court date, and his bond was forfeited, court records show.

While it’s unclear how and when Lutts made his way into Canada, the extradition application suggests that he attempted to cross the border through Niagara Falls on Sept. 29, 2003 -- two days before his trial in Orlando -- but was turned away.

Canada Border Services Agency has no record of Lutts ever entering Canada, the court documents show.

In the court filing, a Toronto detective said that Lutts’ whereabouts remained unknown until an anonymous tip was received in November 2023. From there, police were able to determine that he was living in the city’s Church and Wellesley neighbourhood and going by the alias “Pat Lighthelp.”

On Wednesday morning, Lutts, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, attended a brief court appearance in Toronto via video from a local detention centre.

CTV News Toronto has reached out to office of the state prosecutor in Florida for more information but has not received a response.