A 34-year-old Brewster man accused of strangling and assaulting a domestic partner before leaping from a window and disappearing into the woods has been captured in Maryland following a weeks-long, multi-state manhunt. Selvin Martinez Quim now faces felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault charges after being extradited back to Putnam County to face a judge.
The case began on June 14, when deputies responded to a reported domestic violence incident in the Town of Southeast, according to Yonkers Times. Deputies located the victim at a nearby gas station with visible injuries, the outlet reported. Martinez Quim allegedly fled on foot into a nearby wooded area after jumping from a residence window, evading capture despite an extensive search by responding deputies that day. Mid Hudson News identified Martinez Quim as a Brewster resident and reported that the victim was his domestic partner, filling in details not included in the sheriff's initial announcement.
What followed was a weeks-long, multi-state investigation carried out by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Investigators developed information that Martinez Quim had fled to Maryland and worked with the Montgomery County Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center to track his whereabouts. That fusion center operates as Maryland's primary hub for coordinating leads across federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies around the clock, according to background compiled by the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center.
Arrest and Extradition Timeline
Investigators arrested Martinez Quim in Maryland on July 16, though authorities have not publicly disclosed the specific municipality or facility where he was apprehended, per Daily Voice. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation took custody of him on July 30 and transported him back to Putnam County. The sheriff's office did not release public details of the capture until August 4, five days after the extradition, the same outlet noted.
Sheriff Brian Hess announced that Martinez Quim was arrested on felony domestic violence charges and commended the Bureau of Criminal Investigation's work on the case. Hess also thanked the Montgomery County Police Department, the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center, and the United States Marshals Service for their assistance in the case.
Charges and Court Action
Martinez Quim was charged with strangulation in the second degree, a Class D violent felony under New York Penal Law Section 121.12 that carries a potential penalty of up to seven years in state prison, according to Greco Neyland PC. He also faces charges of assault in the third degree and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, both classified as Class A misdemeanors.
The Town of Southeast Court arraigned Martinez Quim and set bail at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. The court also issued a full stay-away order of protection on behalf of the victim. New York law compels this kind of swift action in domestic cases: under Criminal Procedure Law Section 140.10(4), responding officers operate under a mandatory arrest rule whenever probable cause indicates a felony or assault occurred between domestic partners, as detailed in filings cited by openPR.com.
A Getaway Route Through the Highway Corridor
The Town of Southeast, which encompasses the Village of Brewster, sits at the intersection of Interstate 84 and Interstate 684 near the Connecticut border, a geography that helps explain how a fleeing suspect could quickly leave New York State entirely, according to background compiled by Abstract Marketing Group. Interstate 684 feeds directly into mid-Atlantic travel routes, offering a fast path south toward Maryland.
The Putnam County District Attorney's Office coordinates with local law enforcement, the Child Advocacy Center, and the Women's Resource Center to handle domestic violence prosecutions across town and county courts, per the county's own materials. Regionally, Putnam County has recorded comparatively low reported domestic violence rates: New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services data analyzed by the Westchester Index shows 22 reported domestic violence victims per 10,000 residents in 2024, the lowest rate among Lower Hudson Valley counties.
It remains unclear whether additional charges related to evading arrest or fleeing prosecution will be pursued against Martinez Quim. Local reporting on Putnam County court proceedings has increasingly shifted to digital outlets since two long-running weekly print newspapers, the Putnam County Courier and Putnam County News & Recorder, abruptly stopped publishing in April.
