On Wednesday, July 8, 49-year-old Rodney Maurice Lutz of Hickory was convicted by a Watauga County jury of one count of Felony Larceny, one count of Felony Conspiracy and one count of Felony Possession of Stolen Goods.
The jury also found that he was a habitual felon. The charges arose from the May 2013 theft of over $2,000 of handbags and other items from the Coach store in the Shoppes on the Parkway in Blowing Rock. Lutz had previously been convicted 36 other times for felony and misdemeanor offenses dating back to 1985.
Judge Mark Powell sentenced Lutz to serve between 103 and 136 months in prison.
District Attorney Seth Banks stated, “This case demonstrates my office’s continuing commitment to the aggressive prosecution of Habitual Felons in an effort to rid our community of repeat offenders. The sheer number of convictions that Rodney Lutz has accumulated over his thirty plus year criminal career paints a picture of someone who has continually broken the law and terrorized the people of North Carolina through his criminal conduct.
“By utilizing the Habitual Felon statutes my office was able to obtain convictions that will insure that Mr. Lutz will be taken off the street for the foreseeable future. I appreciate the hard work of Assistant District Attorney Penn Dameron as well as the efforts of the Blowing Rock Police Department and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol in bringing Rodney Maurice Lutz to justice.”
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