Perry man sentenced to 20 years after high-speed chase, vehicle theft

59-year-old Willis Jermaine Curry Jr. pleaded guilty September 4 in Houston County Superior Court 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.

HOUSTON COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A Perry man with seven prior felony convictions has been sentenced to 20 years after pleading guilty to multiple charges stemming from a high-speed chase earlier this summer, according to the Houston County District Attorney’s Office.

59-year-old Willis Jermaine Curry Jr. pleaded guilty September 4 in Houston County Superior Court 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 15 years to be served in prison followed by five years of probation. As part of the sentence, Curry is also banished from Houston County.

Prosecutors said Curry stole a 2023 Kia Sorento from the La Quinta Inn parking lot in Perry on June 18. The victim, who was visiting from out of town, discovered her vehicle missing the next morning and reported it to the Perry Police Department.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage showing the theft and issued a BOLO. Officers later tracked the vehicle using license plate reader cameras and GPS.

When Perry officers located the Kia at Crosspoint Baptist Church, Curry returned to the vehicle and fled, leading police on a high-speed chase that reached more than 100 mph along Perry Parkway, officials said. Officers terminated the pursuit because of heavy traffic, but deputies from the Houston County Sheriff’s Office later spotted the vehicle on Interstate 75.

Curry sped north through Peach, Crawford and Bibb counties before deputies ended the chase using a PIT maneuver near the Bibb-Crawford county line. He was taken into custody and found to be driving without a valid license.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Mike Smith released  the following statement:

“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 Edwards released the following statement:

“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.”