Orfordville man accused in hit-and-run held on $5,000 cash bond

Aug. 1--JANESVILLE -- A $5,000 cash bond was ordered Wednesday for an Orfordville man accused in a hit-and-run accident that left another man with a serious head injury.

Luke A. Kasten, 29, faces charges of first-degree reckless injury and hit-and-run causing injury in the incident, which was reported early Saturday.

The victim, Joshua Johnson, 40, also of Orfordville, is in a medically induced coma because of a skull fracture that caused bleeding in his brain, according to the criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, Kasten and Johnson got into an argument while drinking at Knute's Bar & Grill in Orfordville on Friday night, and the two were separated by a bartender and told to leave.

Johnson lived nearby and was walking home when Kasten drove by with a friend, according to the complaint. Kasten told police he backed up to see if the man walking was Johnson and intended to "antagonize him," according to the complaint.

Kasten said Johnson was aggressive and swung a homemade guitar at his car before Kasten tried to swerve around him, according to the complaint.

The car struck Johnson, who hit the passenger side of the windshield and rolled over the top of the car. Kasten then left the scene, according to the complaint.

A Rock County sheriff's deputy found Johnson lying in the middle of Main Street, the complaint states.

Kasten originally denied knowing about the incident but eventually told police he hit Johnson and hid the car, according to the complaint.

Assistant public defender Jason Sanders argued Wednesday for a $1,000 bond, saying Kasten lives and works in the area, has no criminal record, never missed a court appearance and wasn't a flight risk. Sanders also noted that Kasten turned himself in.

Sanders said Kasten was unsure he could afford more than a $1,000 bond, calling it a "substantial investment" for someone who had not missed a court date.

A Rock County District Attorney's Office representative argued that Kasten knew he had hit Johnson but initially lied to police and hid his vehicle.

"This conduct suggests a substantial risk to comply with the court's jurisdiction as well as the fact that this is a hit-and-run," said Ben Flaherty, an intern with the district attorney's office.

Court Commissioner Stephen Meyer said the penalties Kasten faces and the allegation that he left the scene of an accident justified the $5,000 bond.

Kasten is due in court at 3 p.m. Friday for an adjourned initial appearance.

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