VERMONT ARREST MADE IN THEFT CASE AT STATE AGENCYBerkshire Eagle Online - City & TownTwo brothers accused of dealing crack cocaine

By Zach Church
Bennington Banner

BENNINGTON, Vt. -- Two brothers implicated in last summer's rash of car and home burglaries have been charged in federal court with selling crack cocaine.

Jeffrey Lutz, 30, of North Adams, Mass., and Chad Lutz, 26, of Bennington were each indicted by a grand jury Wednesday on three counts of distribution of crack cocaine in Bennington and one count of conspiring to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

If convicted of all four charges, each Lutz brother faces a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Possible fines, if they are convicted on all counts, could reach as high as $9 million. Also, if convicted, each brother faces at least five years of supervision upon release from prison, with the possibility of lifetime supervision.

The Lutz brothers allegedly sold the crack cocaine during the summer of 2004, according to the press release.

The brothers still are facing charges stemming from a stolen-goods bust that police executed on Benmont Avenue in August. At the time, police recovered large amounts of stolen property, ranging from car stereos to power tools.

Items recovered in that bust included a laptop computer, laserjet printer and digital camera that were stolen in August from the state Agency of Transportation's Bennington office. Multiple witnesses told police detailed stories of the Lutz brothers selling crack cocaine in exchange for both cash and stolen equipment.