Tipster helps Toronto police make arrest in U.S. cold case where 2 people killed

An anonymous tip led police officers to recently arrest an American man allegedly hiding out in Toronto decades after a 1998 drunk driving collision in Florida left two people dead.

Toronto police confirmed that officers from their fugitive squad arrested Patrick Lutts Jr. on Feb. 26, near Bloor and Jarvis streets at the request of U.S. authorities.

Court records show that an anonymous tipster called a Florida tipster hotline back in November 2023 to provide details on his whereabouts.

The 51-year-old, who was living in an apartment on Isabella Street, was also going by the alias of Pat Lighthelp, as Toronto police tracked his whereabouts several times over an 18-month span.

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According to court records, back in 1998, Lutts had been drinking with friends at an Orlando, Fla., home, where he was staying, when went out for a drive in his truck at around 5 a.m. on Christmas morning. Lutts was allegedly involved in a three-vehicle crash that left a man and a woman dead.

Lutts, who had a Georgia licence, allegedly had a blood alcohol level of .272 — three times the legal limit — when he was tested a few hours later, according to the court documents.

The following March, Lutts was charged with DUI manslaughter and a warrant was issued for his arrest but the Texas-born man was never found in Florida.

Three years later, he was arrested in Manchester, Conn., after being allegedly involved in another drunk driving incident before being shipped back to Florida.

Lutts pled not guilty to the initial charges in Florida before he posted a US$5,000 bond. The 51-year-old man never showed up for his Oct. 1, 2003 trial.

Court records show that Lutts initially attempted to come into Canada through Niagara Falls on Sept. 29, 2003, but was turned away.

It is unclear when he came to Canada but it is believed it occurred over the next several years, as records are not available prior to 2010.