A NSW man is facing 23 charges after the alleged kidnap of a woman sparked a manhunt by NSW Police.
The 37-year-old, from Maitland in the state’s north, was arrested on Friday after he was spotted by an off-duty police officer travelling in an allegedly stolen car on the New England Highway.
He’d been wanted since March when officers investigated the assault of a woman by a man known to her in the regional town of Upper Allyn in the Dungog area.
But the man couldn’t be found and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Then on June 2, officers were called to John Hunter Hospital after a woman was admitted with serious injuries requiring surgery.
The woman had allegedly been kidnapped by the man six weeks earlier and held against her will.
The day after that report, police say the man assaulted officers during an attempted arrest and fled in a Jeep Cherokee towing a camper trailer.
A police pursuit was abandoned when the jeep swerved to avoid road spikes and hit a tree, causing the trailer to separate from the vehicle.
On Friday, the man allegedly rammed two police cars and rolled a 4WD after being approached by officers in a car park.
He has been charged with 23 domestic violence and traffic offences, including taking or detaining a person with the intention to obtain advantage and cause actual bodily harm.
The man was refused bail and is due to appear at Newcastle Local Court on Sunday.
