Accused Rapist Confirmed Dead Following Standoff, House Fire in Hilltown Township

Keith Heffintrayer•

UPDATE: May 13, 12:53 p.m. - Hilltown Township Police have confirmed the deceased is 48-year-old Curtis Fish.

Regarding his release from county jail, police said the following:

Awaiting a preliminary hearing on sexual assault and kidnapping charges stemming from the incident at his home on January 1, Fish had been free on bail since April 2.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office opposed Fish’s release on two separate occasions.

At a bail hearing in mid-January, the District Attorney’s Office objected to a request to reduce Fish’s bail, which had been set at 10 percent of $850,000. The objection was overruled and his bail was reduced to 10 percent of $350,000. Fish posted bail the same day.

The District Attorney’s Office moved in March to revoke Fish’s bail arguing that he had attempted to contact the victim from the New Year’s Day case. Fish failed to appear for a hearing on the motion set for March 6 and a bench warrant was issued. Fish was picked up and jailed on the warrant later that day.

During a bench warrant hearing the following week a judge ordered Fish to remain at the county prison until the bail revocation motion could be heard in court. Fish’s lawyer later filed a motion seeking the defendant’s release. The motion argued that Fish should not be held indefinitely as no hearing date had been set.

The District Attorney’s Office again voiced strong objection to Fish’s release. The Office’s objection was overruled and on April 2 Fish was released from the jail on GPS monitoring.

Bucks County court records do not reflect the bail revocation on March 6, but police said that is what occurred. This means that Fish was not one of the inmates released due to coronavirus concerns at the Bucks County Correctional Facility, but his lawyer was able to successfully argue that being held indefinitely without a set hearing date—likely due to scheduling issues stemming from the ongoing pandemic—warranted his release.

Original story follows...

An accused rapist from Hilltown Township is believed to be dead following a standoff and house fire along the 2000 block of Hilltown Pike on Tuesday afternoon.

Reports indicate that Hilltown Township Police were initially dispatched to the 2000 block of Hilltown Pike late Tuesday morning for a report of a person attempting to break into or damage the Crossroads Tavern. A report from WFMZ quotes the tavern’s owner, Mike Mrozinski, as stating that the man who lives next door—believed to be 48-year-old Curtis Fish—was attempting to kick in a large window located at the front of the tavern.

Per the WFMZ report:

"He was saying 'F you, F you.' I told him to get out of here. I ran back in, got my phone and dialed 911," Mrozinski said.

A report by 6ABC quotes Mrozinski as saying that, upon arrival, police attempted to tase the man, but they were unsuccessful. The man then fled into the neighboring home located at 2010 Hilltown Pike.

Bucks County property records show that the home is owned by Curtis Fish.

Once inside the home, Fish reportedly barricaded himself inside and began igniting fireworks both inside and outside of the home. Soon, the home began to fill with smoke, as area fire companies and police tactical units descended upon the scene.

Firefighters worked to cautiously battle the blaze, which eventually broke through the roof of the home. At times, firefighters were observed using the tactical Bearcat vehicle as cover while pushing water on the home, and radio traffic warned members of the fire service to be observant of possible traps on the property.

The fire was eventually placed under control, and a body was later confirmed to be recovered from the home. In the 6ABC report, Hilltown Township Police Chief Christopher Englehart goes on record as saying he believes the body was Fish, but official confirmation has not been released by the Bucks County Coroner at this time.

No members of law enforcement or the fire service were injured during the incident.

A Home with a History

The location of Tuesday’s standoff was a familiar one for police, as they had previously engaged 48-year-old Curtis Fish in an 11-hour standoff at the same location in early January.

Fish was accused of holding a female victim captive on New Year’s Day, during which he allegedly violently assaulted, choked and raped the victim before she was able to escape and flee to a neighboring home. Following the standoff, Fish was charged with kidnapping, rape, aggravated assault, sexual assault, strangulation, unlawful restrain, and related offenses.

Court records indicate that Fish was initially being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10% of $850,000 bail, but that bail requirement was later reduced to 10% of $350,000. Despite a claim from 6ABC stating that Fish was released due to the COVID-19 epidemic, court records indicate that he was bailed out by a family member on Jan. 15—less than two weeks after his preliminary arraignment and months before non-violent inmates were released from custody. (Note: see update above for more clarification.)

In the time since Fish was bailed out, court records show that he was cited on several occasions for repeatedly violating the Disease Prevention and Control Act during the coronavirus shutdown.