Santa Rosa man held on weapons, drug charges

A Santa Rosa man who wielded an ax against police officers while attempting to evade arrest was in jail Friday morning on suspicion of controlled substances and weapons charges.

He was identified by officers as 44-year-old Jerry Kutz, who was wanted on several warrants including one for a weapons violation.

Santa Rosa Police officers received a report early Thursday evening that a man on Morocco Avenue was causing a disturbance. They found him in a field behind his house standing near a pick-up that appeared to be stuck in a hole, Sgt. Micheal Chad Heiser said. The man was holding a beer bottle and a rock and did not comply with officer's orders to drop the items, Heiser said.

Instead he confronted officers, two of whom were injured.

Officers attempted to use a Taser on the man, but it failed to operate and the man picked up an ax and tried to escape the confrontation. Emergency back-up officers arrived, hit the man with a Taser, took the ax away, and arrested the man.

Kutz is expected in court Tuesday to answer to charges that he assaulted a peace officer with a deadly weapon and was in possession of a controlled substance.

He is being held in lieu of $763,000 bail.