SALINE CO. – A Saline County man with an extremely violent history, along with his wife, were both arrested in early December following an incident that those in the neighborhood say happens far too frequently…and they’re worried that if authorities don’t move on things this time, someone could get more seriously hurt than has already occurred.
Dan Curry, 43, of Wasson Road, Harrisburg, is the hardened criminal. His latest wife, Tammy Curry, 45, was arrested on November 30 following an incident at their home during which it’s alleged that she discharged a firearm in the direction of her husband.
Random firing?
Court documents don’t show anything leading up to the incident, so the casual observer might just pass it off as the two getting into a verbal disagreement that turned physical, and Mrs. Curry pulling out a weapon and firing randomly.
That, however, isn’t quite how it went down, according to sources in the vicinity of the incident.
While Tammy Curry was arrested that night on a single, Class 4 felony charge of Reckless Discharge of a Firearm (in which it’s alleged that she endangered the bodily safety of Daniel Curry by discharging a firearm in his direction), these sources indicate that Mrs. Curry only fired because she was receiving a beating from her violent husband, and since she was legally armed, she opted to protect herself with a firearm.
Authorities apparently didn’t buy it, despite her obvious condition (a black eye being chief among injuries she allegedly sustained), and Tammy Curry was charged and jailed.
She was able to bond out a little more than a week later (Dec. 7), and is looking at a January 8 first appearance.
Curry arrested
Disclosure was overwhelmed with information from those who knew Dan Curry’s history and had endured abuse at his hand between Mrs. Curry’s arrest…and Mr. Curry’s, which came on Dec. 7.
Without much explanation, Sheriff Keith Brown announced on that day that Daniel Curry had been arrested that afternoon for “weapon offenses.”
His charges came about after a week of investigation into the incident, at which time a search warrant was obtained and the Curry residence on Wasson Road was examined closely.
There, enough evidence was gathered to charge Daniel Curry with two counts: Unlawful Possession of Weapon by a Felon, in which it’s alleged that Curry knowingly possessed a Taurus Judge 45-cal. revolver; and Possession of a Stolen Firearm, in which it’s alleged that Curry had in his possession a Hi Point 9mm pistol belonging to a Charles Maynard, knowing it to have been stolen or converted.
Both counts are Class 2 felonies. However, because Curry has an Aggravated Battery conviction in Saline County, the Possession of Weapon by a Felon charge is considered “enhanced” by the Agg Batt as regards punishment…and carries with it a mandatory three to 14 years incarceration in IDOC.
He was not charged with anything pertaining to battery of Mrs. Curry. As of press time (Sunday, Dec. 17), it appeared that Curry remained locked up at the Saline County Detention Center, with bond set at $1,500 cash.
And nobody, it appeared, really wanted to post it, since Dan Curry has been terrorizing people in the area for years.
Lost leg in motorcycle accident
Disclosure has chronicled Curry’s antics for quite some time now, including the horrific motorcycle wreck he had November 26, 2013, on Highway 34 at 146 in Hardin County.
Curry lost his left leg in that accident, and the injuries he sustained kept him out of trouble…for a little while.
In that accident, he was charged with misdemeanor DUI, as authorities alleged he was driving drunk – it had already been established at that point that he had a fairly serious drinking problem – and that DUI was pled down nine months after the accident, to Reckless Driving, also a misdemeanor. That move, managed by then-prosecutor Tara Wallace (which would explain a lot, as she was weak on crime), left Curry out and about and able to continue to pull his stunts…just, with one less leg than he had before.
Attack in Eldorado
His next notable stunt came in September of 2015, when an incident in Eldorado began in the early morning hours of the 18th (about 2 a.m.)
Curry was caught by Eldorado police carrying on – on his motorcycle, which he apparently could successfully ride with just one leg – in front of the home of Dale Edwards, at whom Curry was very profanely yelling at. When police arrived, however, he rode off, and had to be stopped.
When police questioned Curry, he advised that he’d been at the Eldorado American Legion, where his then-wife, Angela, had been helping a regular customer to her van so she could give him a ride to his car, which was a distance away. The customer was Dale Edwards, who had hurt his leg that week and was having a hard time walking, hence the reason why the then-Mrs. Curry was “giving him a ride” – she was a bartender at the Legion, and with Edwards being a regular customer, she felt somewhat obliged.
Curry had already manhandled Edwards’ son over the incident, which he believed, in his apparent delusion brought about by rage, meant his wife was having an affair with Mr. Edwards.
As it turned out, that wasn’t the case, but that didn’t stop Curry: Even with one leg, he’d leaped into his wife’s van and began beating Dale Edwards, then pulled out a knife and slashed Edwards up pretty badly.
That incident was how Curry caught the felony that has him in serious trouble within the current charges.
It was only just settled in July of 2017, at which time Dan Curry was placed on two years’ probation, and was ordered to pay $3,755 in fines and fees, $1,205 of which remains unpaid.
Folks are afraid
Sources speaking on condition of anonymity (because they’re afraid of retaliation from Curry, who is not only violent, but completely unpredictable) advised that on the Nov. 30 date in question, the Currys had been “fighting all day.”
One source advised that there was a child present at some point in time when Dan Curry threatened Tammy Curry’s life.
Another source advised that there was exchanging gunfire – that Curry had a 45-cal, and his wife had a 9mm (legally, on her part) – and that Curry advised authorities that day in question that he had “taken the gun from her” when she went to fire him, not bothering to mention that he had the 45 in his possession. Different sources advise that Curry had, since his probation issuance in July, been target practicing with the weapons at his home….something he cannot do, as he’s a felon, and particularly, because he’s on probation for a violent crime.
But the primary concern lies in the fact that in the Wasson area (situated just off U.S. 45 between Muddy and Eldorado) where the Currys live, there are houses rather close together on Wasson Road, and folks are worried about flying bullets penetrating a wall and striking an innocent bystander. In the days before his arrest, a number of people expressed their deep concern about how it seems authorities are going light on Dan Curry, who, they feel, should be locked away until he could get his temper and bad habits under control.
Given that his new charges contain a mandatory sentence, at least he’ll be out of everyone’s way for a little while (if, in fact, the charge sticks and isn’t reduced to something less meaningful). But whether that “while” will be long enough for the brutal, increasingly-violent Curry to “get his bad habits” (including his temper) under control or not remains to be seen…and those who know him don’t have high hopes for either one.