Owen Man Accused of Stealing a Car and Leading Authorities on a High Speed Chase Appears in Clark County Court
Friday, May 29th, 2015 -- 10:49 AM
-An Owen man appeared in Clark County Court for an initial appearance on Thursday for allegedly escaping from the Clark County Rehabilitation and Living Center, stealing a car, running from authorities and crashing the car into a garage.According to the criminal complaint, on May 16th, two Clark County deputies were dispatched to the Clark County Rehabilitation and Living Center after a nurse informed them that 20-year-old Ty Lanz had escaped with two other individuals. They had struck the nurse in the back of the head with a chair, kicked her face and stole her cell phone. As the deputies arrived, they apprehended the other individuals, but Lanz continued to run across a field.
Eventually, the sheriff's department received a report of a stolen vehicle in Owen. The vehicle had been driven right through the garage door. Deputies located the vehicle and pursued it down County Highway X reaching speeds of 65 to 100 mph. The driver, Lanz, avoided one set of spike strips laid by the sheriff's department, hit another laid by the Stanley Police Department, but continued driving with flat tires.
As the stolen vehicle continued down the road, it forced a truck into the ditch, hit a parked work van and finally struck a parked car west of Stanley, forcing the car into a garage and pushing it through the back wall. The stolen car started on fire and authorities forced the driver, Lanz, out. Later, when Lanz was questioned, he said he didn't want to be at the Living Center anymore and admitted to hitting the nurse and taking the vehicle.
During the initial appearance, Lanz waived the reading of the complaint and will be back in court on June 1st for a preliminary hearing. His $10,000 cash bond will continue and he has numerous charges against him including battery, disorderly conduct, recklessly endangering safety, criminal damage to property and more. If convicted of all charges and sentenced to the maximum amount, he could spend over 40 years in prison, pay over $115,000 in fines or both.
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