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Man charged following alleged kidnapping incident at South Portland motel

A standoff lasted for several hours.

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A man has been taken into custody and faces multiple charges after an alleged domestic kidnapping and police standoff at a motel in South Portland. 

Police were called to Pine Haven Motel at about 1 a.m. for a report about a man with a firearm who reportedly refused to allow an occupant to leave the room, according to a news release from the South Portland Police Department. 

Crisis negotiators and the Southern Maine Regional SWAT team aided South Portland police during the standoff, which lasted about four hours, until the man allowed the occupant to leave, the release stated. 

The occupant was brought to a hospital for evaluation. 

"Negotiators tried for another hour to convince the male to surrender peacefully. However, he refused. SWAT officers forcibly removed the male from the motel room," the release said. 

The man suffered minor injuries and was brought to a nearby hospital for treatment. The motel room was searched by police, where they discovered a handgun, the release stated. 

Kristofer Wingate, 40, faces charges of kidnapping, creating a police standoff, and fugitive from justice with a full extradition warrant from Texas. 

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