PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) – Former congressional candidate Gary Dodds’ latest arrest followed a complaint that he had kidnapped and threatened a woman, police records show.

According to the Portsmouth police log, employees at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital emergency room called police Thursday about a patient who said she had been kidnapped by Dodds and was scared because he was in the hospital lobby.

City prosecutor Corey MacDonald has said the incident was a domestic disturbance and the woman was Dodds’ wife, though other officials have declined to confirm her identity.

Dodds was charged with simple assault, false imprisonment and violating the bail conditions imposed after he was convicted in February of faking his disappearance after a crash two years ago. Police say the assault and imprisonment happened at the Cutts Mansion, a rental property he owns in Portsmouth and where he recently has been living.

Dodds was sentenced to 20 days in jail and a year of home confinement for the crash conviction, but has been free on bail while appealing his conviction. In May, he was arrested after his wife reported that he had moved out of their Rye home, had been acting erratically and had thrown her to the floor during an argument.

J.P. Nadeau, Dodds’ defense attorney, said Friday he had spoken with his client over the phone and he appeared “calm and focused.”

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Information from: Foster’s Daily Democrat, http://www.fosters.com

AP-ES-07-06-08 1238EDT