A 47-year-old man who already has a drunken driving conviction has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run accident in which a man on a motorcycle was dragged to his death in Lakewood, authorities say.
Gregory M. Rutschman was booked into the Jefferson County Jail for investigation of vehicular homicide, drunken driving, driving under restraint and failure to provide proof of insurance, said Steve Davis, police spokesman.
Rutschman was driving a white pickup truck just after 2 a.m. Tuesday on South Kipling Street when he ran a red light and slammed into a motorcycle.
The motorcycle and its rider, Kevin A. Vanwyk, 46, were entangled with the truck and dragged on the road, Davis said.
Vanwyk was pronounced dead at the scene.
The truck, which had damage to the front end, sped off, he said.
Police later found the truck parked about two miles south of the accident, but Rutschman had fled on foot, Davis said.
Police initially interviewed Rutschman, the truck’s registered owner, but released him after he denied driving the car at the time of the crash, he said.
Investigators were later able to prove that Rutschman was driving the truck when it struck Vanwyk, Davis said.
On Jan. 6, Rutschman was arrested for drunken driving, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records. He served four days in the Arapahoe County Detention Facility on the conviction, according to CBI.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
