ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis judge ruled a man who fled the scene of a fatal crash in 2021 will not have to serve any prison time.
Courtney Curry, 29, admitted speeding in a pick-up truck on Locust Street, running a red light, and colliding with an SUV that was making a left turn from Tucker Boulevard. The crash happened on Sept. 26, 2021.
A passenger in the SUV, Antoine Johnson, was ejected from the vehicle and later died. He was 46. The driver of the SUV was also injured in the collision.
Police arrested Curry more than a year later.
Curry pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of leaving the scene of a crash.
A prosecutor from the Circuit Attorney’s Office recommended Curry be sentenced to five years in prison. Members of Johnson’s family, who were present in court, asked that Curry get prison time because he did not take responsibility for his actions.
Curry’s lawyer said his client’s decision to flee the scene that day was triggered by a memory of a school bus crash as a child.
For his part, Curry apologized to Johnson’s family in court, saying he thinks about the crash every day.
“I’m just an average young man who made a terrible mistake,” he said. “A mistake that I have to live with for the rest of my life.”
Curry, who had no prior felony convictions, served four months in jail since his arrest.
Circuit Court Judge Christopher McGraugh sentenced Curry to three years of probation on each count, to be served concurrently. The judge said first-time offenders typically receive probation for Class D and Class E felonies.
McGraugh warned that if Curry violates probation, he faces 15 years in state prison.