Pair accused of taking pregnant daughter

PORTLAND – A couple from Maine were being held Sunday in a New Hampshire jail, accused of kidnapping their pregnant 19-year-old daughter.

After being tied up with rope and loaded into the back seat of her parents’ car, the daughter escaped Friday at a shopping mall in Salem, N.H., and called police, authorities said.

The parents, identified as Nicholas Kampf, 54, and his wife, Lola, 53, of North Yarmouth, Maine, were driving their daughter to New York state for an emergency abortion, police said.

Investigators said rope, duct tape, scissors and a .22-caliber rifle were found in the Kampfs’ vehicle, and Nicholas Kampf had a loaded .22-caliber magazine clip in his pants pocket.

The couple, who have no notable police record, were being held in the Rockingham County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail each. Police said they could face additional charges in Maine.

The Kampfs were scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Salem District Court by video from the jail in Brentwood, N.H. If convicted of kidnapping, they face 71/2 to 15 years in prison.

The Kampfs were upset that their daughter was pregnant, police said, and the kidnapping began with a physical altercation Friday morning.

Authorities in Maine were investigating what led up to the kidnapping.

Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion said detectives planned to interview medical providers to find out what advice the parents were given about the pregnancy.

“It’s a pretty dramatic response to her being pregnant, some would say outrageous response,” Dion said. “So before we draw conclusions, we need to flesh out the precursor facts.”