Man sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for July crime spree
TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- 44-year-old Lukas Drak was sentenced to 18 years and 8 months in a Tulare County Courthouse on Wednesday morning.
Drak, who has an extensive criminal history and is a registered sex offender, pleaded no contest to all charges and enhancements against him.
"The number of charges in here is quite a bit. It's assault with a deadly weapon, being a habitual criminal, bodily injury charges, things of that nature, which was very serious," explains Action News legal analyst Tony Capozzi.
The sentencing comes just weeks after his July 9th alleged drug-induced crime spree in Porterville.
When he broke into an apartment on Main Street, he stabbed a resident and ran towards a busy bar nearby, armed with a knife and a screwdriver. Drak then made his way inside even after officers shot him in the leg... he was arrested shortly after.
"This individual is very fortunate he wasn't killed by the police. They had every right to protect themselves," Capozzi continues, "and but for the police contacting this person at the time, they did save a lot of damage and protected a lot of people. That was very important in this case. I think the police did a very good job."
Locals, like Steven Castaneda, agree and say they are grateful for the officers' work that night.
Steven was out on a bike ride hours before the incident.
He shares, "Of course I was shocked like everybody else. We did ride the next day. It wasn't something I felt that stopped us from riding or will stop us from ever riding here. Things do happen, good or bad in every area."
Action News legal analyst Tony Capozzi says the quick sentencing likely came from a detailed police report and overall investigation.
Drak will soon be transferred from county jail to a state prison.
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