A man from Philadelphia connected to a theft group that targeted Lowes and Home Depot stores in Montgomery, Bucks, and Delaware counties, led police on a high-speed chase going the wrong way on Route 422, injuring two state troopers, and is now going to prison.
38-year-old Michael D. Curtis, living on Lindley Avenue, was given a 7 to 14 year sentence in a state prison after admitting to two felony charges of aggravated assault of a police officer and a felony charge of fleeing and eluding police relating to the September 17, 2022 incident on Route 422 in Limerick.
Judge Thomas P. Rogers gave the sentence.
Two state troopers from the Skippack barracks were hurt when police used a “precision immobilization technique” to stop the U-Haul box truck driven by Curtis. The maneuver caused the police vehicle to hit a Mack dump truck on the highway, injuring the troopers.
One trooper got cuts on the face and head, and the other suffered a broken hip and spinal injuries.
Assistant District Attorney Gabrielle Hughes asked for consecutive prison terms to match the injuries to both state troopers. The judge did give Curtis consecutive prison terms.
Hughes said, “The police saw that innocent people could get hurt so they did something that risked their lives to stop this vehicle that’s going the wrong way down the highway. They made a split-second decision to make sure that no one else got hurt,” about the troopers. “The two of them ended up seriously injured. This is all because the defendant chose to put other people in danger rather than just facing accountability for a retail theft.”
Hughes said it was the troopers' quick thinking and bravery that stopped others on the highway from getting hurt or killed.
Hughes argued that Curtis faced a choice between being accountable for a theft and starting a police chase that put other's lives at risk, and he chose to drive the wrong way on that highway, endangering police and innocent people.
Curtis also admitted to a felony charge of organized retail theft connected to his involvement in the theft scheme taking place between May and September 2022 in Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware counties.
During the investigation of the retail theft organization, police found out about a suspicious U-Haul vehicle involved in those thefts.
At about 2:41 a.m. on September 17, 2022, state police were told to look out for a suspicious U-Haul box truck involved in thefts and which had earlier not stopped for police, as stated in a criminal complaint filed by state police Trooper Matthew Taubenberger.
A trooper later saw the suspect vehicle entering Route 422 westbound from Route 29 in Upper Providence with no taillights on. Two state police vehicles, with lights and sirens, chased the U-Haul but it didn't stop and went past other vehicles on the highway at a high speed, according to the police.
When the U-Haul truck arrived in the Lewis Road area in Limerick, Curtis made a U-turn and drove east in the westbound lanes of Route 422, as stated in court documents.
The state police quickly performed the PIT maneuver to stop the U-Haul truck and protect other drivers on the highway who were endangered by Curtis’ actions. The maneuver also resulted in the police vehicle hitting the front of a Mack dump truck on the highway.
One of the injured troopers told the judge in a victim impact statement, “I had to make a quick decision that changed our lives forever.” He mentioned being out of work for months due to his injuries and how the close encounter with death during their job duties continued to affect him for a long time after returning to work.
The trooper added, “All of this is a result of the selfish decisions made by Michael Curtis,” and urged the judge to consider the “extreme risk” Curtis poses to others.
Police detained three individuals in the U-Haul: Curtis, who was driving, and two passengers.
During a police interview, Curtis admitted to driving the U-Haul truck.
“Curtis expressed remorse for the troopers' injuries. When asked about his destination, he said he was trying to escape and wanted to return to Philadelphia,” according to Taubenberger in the arrest affidavit.
With the charges, police claimed Curtis “recklessly engaged in conduct which created a substantial risk of injury or death” to other motorists on Route 422, to police officers, and to the two passengers in the U-Haul truck.
Taubenberger alleged, “He disregarded their safety and failed to bring his vehicle to a stop, ultimately being stopped by troopers,” adding that Curtis’ actions caused the injuries suffered by the two troopers.
In exchange for his guilty plea to the most serious felony aggravated assault charges, other charges of resisting arrest, recklessly endangering others, and numerous summary traffic offenses were dismissed against Curtis.
In connection with the retail theft scheme, detectives alleged Curtis was part of an organization that stole merchandise for financial gain.
“The majority of thefts occurred late at night or in the early morning hours and mainly involved the theft of high-end retail merchandise from Lowes or Home Depot. The stolen merchandise, such as snow blowers, riding mowers, and log splitters, was usually taken from the front ramp or apron area of the store after the security cables were cut, and the thieves arrived in a U-Haul truck,” detectives alleged in a criminal complaint.
The Montgomery County Detective Bureau received assistance in the investigation of the retail theft ring from multiple police departments, including state police and others from various townships and boroughs in Montgomery, Bucks, and Delaware counties, as well as Philadelphia.
Curtis was represented by defense attorney Gabriela Sanchez during the legal process.
