Crisis team helps Howland arrest man threatening shootout with cops

Staff report

HOWLAND

The Mahoning Valley Crisis Response team assisted Howland police Thursday afternoon and arrested Matthew C. Curtiss, 43, behind his parents’ house on Muirwood Drive after hours of trying to take him into custody for making threats, police said.

He threatened to kill family members and get into a “shootout with police,” Howland police Chief Nick Roberts said.

Curtiss was taken to a hospital for evaluation and will be booked into the Trumbull County jail on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence, Roberts said.

The episode began when Curtiss’ mother and sister drove to the Howland police station about 11:35 a.m. to report that Curtiss had threatened to kill them and get into a shootout with police.

They said Curtiss, who is from Salt Lake City but has been staying at the Muirwood address for about seven months, had a handgun and long gun.

Howland police responded to the home and tried to contact Curtiss by telephone, but he did not answer.

About 50 to 60 members of the crisis team, which consists of officers from Mahoning and Trumbull counties, took part, which ended about 2 p.m. when a team member found Curtiss in the woods behind the house and he was arrested.

Muirwood Drive is in a wooded area off Howland Wilson Road and Muir Woods Drive near the Bazetta Township line.

Howland police charged Curtiss with misdemeanor offenses of abusing harmful intoxicants and domestic violence twice in October – once Oct. 20 and again Oct. 28.

He is scheduled for his next pretrial hearings in both of those cases March 26 in Warren Municipal Court.