Suspect in Brentwood kidnapping arrested after high-speed chase, crash in Maine

BRENTWOOD — The hunt for the man suspected of kidnapping a local woman at gunpoint is over.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Peter M. Curtis, 34, last known of Maine, was taken into custody on Monday, Aug. 8, following a high-speed chase and crashing into vehicles in Portland, Maine.

Law enforcement reported Curtis tried to outrun police after being spotted “by an eagle-eyed officer from the Portland Police Department.” A multi-state search for Curtis ensued last week after he was accused of committing a random armed kidnapping of a Brentwood woman on North Road in late July. According to police, the woman was able to escape unharmed.

According to the Marshals Service, Curtis was seen in a stolen vehicle on Monday morning, then fled from Portland, Maine officers. He allegedly crashed the vehicle he was driving before being arrested.

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Curtis was brought to a local hospital for treatment, according to the U.S. Marshals, and medically cleared before he was taken to Cumberland County Jail in Maine. 

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Curtis is being held as a fugitive from justice on the New Hampshire arrest warrant, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as his Maine probation violation on a prior conviction for narcotics. He’s likely to face additional charges brought by Portland police due to alleged offenses stemming from his actions on Monday.

Curtis is expected to be arraigned in a Maine courtroom later this week.

Prior to his arrest, Curtis was sought by the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force and the Maine Violent Offender Task Force. Last Wednesday Curtis was named the U.S. Marshals Service’s “Fugitive of the Week,” in the Granite State, for his outstanding warrants, kidnapping and criminal threatening with a deadly weapon charges out of New Hampshire.

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Law enforcement then sought the public’s help in finding Curtis, going to the media to spread the word, while cautioning Curtis was considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached if spotted.

The U.S. Marshals offered a reward of up to $1,500 for information leading to Curtis’ arrest, which led to “tips that helped to narrow the search for Mr. Curtis,” according to the U.S. Marshals. It is still unknown if anyone “is eligible to receive the reward,” according to the U.S. Marshals Service, which assured the public the reward will be paid if that determination is made.