When convicted felon Michael Kaumans saw a man riding the motorcycle recently stolen from him, he chased the man down and opened fire, causing his death police said.
Last week, Kaumans, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and lesser charges in an agreement with the District Attorney’s Office that resolved multiple cases against him. At sentencing, he faces between two and 20 years in prison.
Kaumans’ attorney Tom Clark said in an interview after the hearing that rather than “calling the police, like he should have,” his client admitted to “taking the law into his own hands.”
He said Kaumans and Mariah Hothan were stopped at a light on Central the morning of July 11, 2015, when they saw the stolen motorcycle.
“There was a short chase,” Clark said. “Shots were fired, the motorcycle crashed, the guy runs off – he runs to the hospital, we find out later – and (Kaumans) takes his motorcycle back.”
Police said Vincent McAneney died at a local hospital of a gunshot wound. It is not clear if McAneney stole the motorcycle or acquired it after it had been stolen.
Kaumans also pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted burglary and attempted armed robbery, all connected to separate incidents that took place in June and July 2015. Kaumans admitted in court that he’d previously been convicted of multiple felonies.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors also agreed that they would not pursue charges in more than a dozen other cases in which Kaumans was a suspect, Clark said. He said the cases involved alleged robberies, criminal damage to property and burglaries.
“What we’re trying to do here,” Clark said in court, “is get rid of every case known to the state right now.”
Hothan, who faced two charges in connection to the incident, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in March and was sentenced to probation, according to court records. Her agreement required her to cooperate in the prosecution of Kaumans.
