Seven-time convicted felon sentenced to 15 years after stealing vehicle, fleeing from police in June

PERRY – 59-year-old Willis Jermaine Curry Jr. was sentenced to 15 years in prison for fleeing from police in a stolen vehicle. 

Curry pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of Houston County on Thursday, Sept. 4. According to a press release, he pleaded guilty to one count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, one count of theft by receiving stolen property, and one count of driving without a license. 

Superior Court Judge Amy Smith sentenced Curry to 20 years, with the first 15 years to be served in prison, followed by five years of probation during which Curry will be banished from Houston County. He was already a seven-time convicted felon at the time of the plea. 

According to the Houston County District Attorney’s Office, on the night of June 18, Curry stole a vehicle from the La Quinta Inn parking lot located at 102 Plaza Drive in Perry. The victim of the theft was visiting Perry overnight from out of town. The following morning, the victim contacted the Perry Police Department after noticing her vehicle was missing. 

PPD Officer Maxwell Webster reviewed surveillance footage from the night before, which showed the victim’s 2023 Kia Sorento being stolen. Officers put out a “Be On the Lookout” for the stolen vehicle.

Several hours later, the vehicle was found using Flock camera license plate reader footage as well as GPS tracking through Kia. Perry officers located the vehicle at Crosspoint Baptist Church, off Perry Parkway. 

Lt. David Hill arrived at the church first, where the Kia was seen in the parking lot. Before officers could make contact with the suspect, Curry got back into the vehicle and led Hill on a dangerous, high-speed chase down Perry Parkway. 

During the chase, Curry ran a red light, drove on the wrong side of the roadway, erratically passed other vehicles and reached speeds well over 100 miles an hour. Perry officers terminated their pursuit as Curry approached Houston Lake Road because of the heavy congestion on the roadway.

Perry officers continued to broadcast the Kia’s description and rate of travel. Houston County Sheriff’s Office deputies and other law enforcement officers assisted in the search for the stolen vehicle. The press release says Deputy Jaleel Brown was able to locate the stolen vehicle heading northbound on Interstate 75 near the Russell Parkway exit.

Brown got behind the vehicle and pursued Curry as he drove northbound through Peach, Crawford and Bibb counties. Curry continued to drive the vehicle at over 100 miles per hour while erratically passing other vehicles as he attempted to elude Brown and other officers.

Brown was able to safely initiate a “Precision Immobilization Technique” maneuver on the Kia, finally ending the pursuit at the Bibb County and Crawford County line. According to the press release, Curry was taken into custody at that time, where he was also found to have been driving without a valid license.

Curry was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Mike Smith of the Houston County District Attorney’s Office. 

Smith provided comments on the case: 

“Our office would like to thank the Perry Police Department and the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the other assisting law enforcement agencies including the Byron Police Department, the Warner Robins Police Department, the Peach County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol, for their collaborative efforts in bringing this career criminal to justice. I would especially like to highlight the efforts of Officer Maxwell Webster, Lieutenant David Hill, and Deputy Jaleel Brown. Not only should visitors to our community be safe from having their property stolen, but each and every person traveling on our local roadways should feel safe while riding on these roadways. The District Attorney’s Office remains committed to protecting the community from career thieves, as well as ensuring that fleeing motorists always go to prison following a conviction.”

District Attorney Eric Edwards also provided comments: 

“Willis Curry is a repeat offender whose reckless actions put innocent lives at risk across multiple counties. A stolen car may be able to be replaced, but the danger of a 100-mile-an-hour chase through our community could have cost lives. This office will not allow career criminals to continue jeopardizing public safety on our roadways. Thanks to the coordinated work of our law enforcement partners, Curry will now spend the next 15 years in prison and will be banished from Houston County. That is the only appropriate outcome for someone who has shown time and again that he cannot follow the law.”