A Massachusetts man who had eluded law enforcement for more than a month was arrested Monday in Waterville for alleged drug trafficking, kidnapping, and the illegal possession of firearms.
Maine State Police found Diego Martinez, 31, hiding in an attic crawl space after several hours of negotiations couldn’t convince him to exit the house voluntarily.
Law enforcement had been pursuing Martinez, who has an extensive criminal record, since Nov. 11 when he led Sabattus cops on a high speed chase.
In May 2021, Martinez was extradited from Massachusetts to Maine to face firearm and drug charges after leading cops on a similar car chase.
The MSP Tactical Team entered the house, discovered the hiding Martinez, and placed him under arrest around 1:00 AM.
Arrested along with Martinez were 34-year-old Ryan Loucks of Waterville and 41-year-old Talline Blakeslee of Winslow, who were found hiding with Martinez.
40-year-old Robert Salley, who cooperated with law enforcement and left the building along with nine other unidentified individuals, was arrested on a separate warrant.
Martinez was charged with Refusing to Submit to Arrest and Creating a Police Standoff in addition to his four outstanding Maine warrants, according to the Maine State Police.
Loucks was charged with Refusing to Submit to Arrest and Violating Conditions of Release.
Blakeslee was charged with Refusing to Submit to Arrest, a Probation Violation, and the Maine warrant.
Blakeslee and Martinez remain in police custody at the Kennebec County Correctional Facility, while Loucks and Salley have been released.
