Man accused of fleeing Austin crash sentence returns to Mower County custody
Jeffer Lorenzo, 2025 / Mower County Jail Roster
(ABC 6 News) – A man who fled sentencing in a criminal vehicular operation case returned to Mower County Tuesday.
Jeffer Lorenzo appeared in court for a hearing on his high-profile criminal vehicular operation case, as well as a new charge of failing to appear for sentencing.
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Lorenzo crashed his vehicle into Austin teenager Wyatt Hamlin’s car in July of 2023, pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal vehicular operation, then fled the state before his sentencing in 2024.
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Lorenzo was arrested in Tennessee in December. He gave a Cleveland, Tenn. address in court Jan. 15.
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Siefkin assigned Lorenzo $10,000 bail, unconditional only, in the failure to appear case.
However, Chris Green with the prosecution requested Lorenzo be held without bail or bond, until he could be sentenced in the 2023 criminal vehicular operation case.
According to Lorenzo’s failure to appear court documents, after the defendant failed to appear for his June 13, 2024 sentencing, defense counsel told the court his calls recently had gone to voicemail.
Austin police and probation spoke with a person who had been working with Lorenzo, who checked the defendant’s Austin home and said everything there had been packed and removed.
Lorenzo’s cell phone had also been suspended.
“I can’t release under these circumstances,” Siefkin agreed.
Judge Kevin Siefkin rescheduled Lorenzo’s sentencing in the DWI crash for 1:30 p.m. March 6. He is to remain in the custody until his sentencing.