UPDATE: This report was updated at 11 am on April 16 to provide further details on this incident and suspect.

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A Danbury man was arrested midday Thursday after a gunpoint kidnapping and failed attempt to elude arrest in a car stolen from a Newtown residence that morning.

According to reports, Danbury Police along with Western Connecticut Regional SWAT were in Newtown on April 14, preparing to execute a search & seaizure warrant when an individual fled from the residence on foot.

Danbury Police say the search warrant was related to an ongoing investigation regarding the theft of a handgun, and the Newtown suspect was the individual believed responsible.

The individual, identified by police as Christopher Lemke, 33, of Danbury, fled through the woods and emerged in a nearby neighborhood north of Mt Pleasant Road near its intersection with Blackman Road.

There, he reportedly entered an unlocked residence and kidnapped a person at gunpoint and fled the scene in a stolen car — a white BMW 4-door sedan.

The victim was able to escape from the vehicle a short distance away, and police said that person was not physically injured. Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps responded to the scene to provide assistance and support.

As the situation was unfolding, police K-9 units that were training Thursday morning at 3 Main Street — the former police station headquarters — responded to the scene to assist in the search.

Officers were able to get the suspect and vehicle information out quickly and the vehicle was located by Connecticut State Police (CSP) traveling on I-84 East near the Rochambeau Bridge. The BMW operator engaged the police in a pursuit.

The BMW exited I-84 eastbound at Exit #15 and crashed on Main Street North (Route 67), by the #15 entrance ramp to I-84 westbound, in Southbury.

At that point, the suspect was then taken into custody and transported to Troop A in Southbury. When arrested, the stolen handgun and assorted other contraband were recovered from Lemke, Danbury Police reported.

Police radio communications also indicated that suspected narcotics were discovered in the vehicle.

Lemke was charged with illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, criminal possession of a pistol, engaging police in pursuit, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He is currently in the state's custody, facing charges generated by the CT State Police, Newtown and Danbury PD.

During an investigation, the Danbury Police Department investigators learned that Lemke might have information related to Carlos Reyes, a local man reported missing at the end of March 2022. As Lemke was also directly related to an April 7 search warrant execution at a Ball Pond Road residence, investigators are hopeful he can provide them with information to help locate Reyes, or his whereabouts.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal reacted to the news with a statement.

"I can only imagine how harrowing and traumatizing this experience was for the resident confronted by this felon and I am incredibly relieved it did not escalate to physical violence to the resident or to our police officers," the first selectman said. "I am grateful this is not something we see everyday and I appreciate how hard our law enforcement professionals work to keep it that way."

Missing Person Case

On March 31, 2022, at approximately 8:00 a.m., 20-year-old Carlos Reyes was reported missing by his family members. His family said they last saw him on March 28, 2022, at approximately 11:00 p.m. Reyes was known to frequent Danbury, Waterbury, and Naugatuck. Reyes was known to be a DoorDash driver and a driver for hire.

When Reyes was reported missing, investigators received information that Reyes’s vehicle, a 2008 gray 4 door Infiniti sedan, was located in Brewster, NY. The vehicle was found before midnight on March 29, 2022, fully engulfed in flames, and the extinguished vehicle proved to be unoccupied. With the assistance of the NY State Police, an extensive search of the surrounding area showed no signs of Reyes.

On April 7, 2022, investigators executed a search and seizure warrant at a Ball Pond Rd residence and property for possible evidence or clues related to the missing Reyes. The search ended with collecting surveillance footage and evidence associated with the missing person. The case continues to be an ongoing missing person investigation, and investigators are working with Reyes’ family and other sources to obtain further information.

Carlos Reyes is approximately 5’10”, 170lbs fit build, brown eyes, brown hair and facial hair, no tattoos, and has piercings in both ears. When last seen, Reyes was wearing black sweatpants, a black sweater, and red “Uggs” slippers. He regularly wears three gold chains around his neck, each having a gold pendant.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Justin Williams at j.williams@danbury-ct.gov or 203-796-1601. Anonymous tips can be made at 203-790-TIPS or by texting DANBURYPD at 847411 (Tip411).

History Of Arrests

The Newtown incident was apparently the latest time this suspect has run afoul of the law.

A police report from September 2021 out of Bethel lists an individual with the same name being involved in a hit-and-run incident, after which the vehicle involved was located disabled at a Danbury railroad crossing. Following an investigation, DUI and narcotics charges were leveled along with numerous motor vehicle offenses.

According to court records, in 2013, Lemke was found guilty of carrying a pistol without a permit, and threatening. Those charges resulted in a jail sentence and probation.

In February of 2015, court records show Lemke was found guilty of violation of probation and sentenced several weeks later to 15 months in jail. He was apprehended by Wilton Police on that warrant out of New Milford after a vehicle he was riding in struck the side mirror of a school bus on Sharp Hill Road in that town and officers responded locating him.

According to several news reports, in February 2005, 16-year-old Lemke and Alexander Bass, 17 faced charges of conspiracy to commit second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary. In that case, reports state the pair called a Chinese restaurant and asked to have a delivery made to the Bel Air Condominiums on Route 202.

When the victim went to deliver the order, they attacked him from behind with a hammer, according to court records. The delivery man was taken to New Milford Hospital by ambulance and required about eight staples to close the wound, police said at the time.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com. Editor John Voket contributed content to this report.