The Continuing adventures of Arthur Curry

Dec. 6, 2006

Editors note: Part II concludes our coverage of the Art Curry story. Express contributor Rick Coates will provide a short brief next spring after Curry’s trial is completed for multiple bank robberies and a possible murder charge. Coates first reported of Curry’s early release from prison in the December 21, 2001 issue of the Express. That article along with last week’s article appears online at www.northernexpress.com. One correction from last week’s story: Roy Wabash is the news editor of the Wabash Plain Dealer, not “the editor” as was reported.

When convicted kidnapper Arthur J. Curry was granted early release by the Indiana Department of Corrections in October of 2001 after serving a little more than 11 years of his 30 year sentence on kidnapping and weapons charges, it was believed that he was reformed and no longer a danger to society.
Prison officials from the Westville Correctional Facility in Northern Indiana spoke to the Northern Express in October 2001, days before Curry’s release. They stated that they “expected Curry to do great things as he re-entered society.” They cited his “good behavior,” the fact that he was “well thought of by others including the prisoners and administrators alike.” He was described as “intelligent and charismatic” by those who knew him during his stay behind bars.
This was despite the psychiatric report presented at the time of his sentencing that labeled Curry a “sociopath and a person who was in need of years of treatment.”
But Curry always had a way with words; he proved that during his time here in Petoskey and Traverse City. He convinced many to invest thousands into the Perry Hotel and Park Place Hotel only to have them lose out while almost destroying both historic landmarks.
So when he left prison to re-enter society he was restricted to the South Bend Parole District, which included the community of Wabash. Curry had a college friend there who was a prominent citizen, who he brought Curry to town and introduced him to the community.

SOLID CITIZEN?
In Indiana, Curry was introduced by successful and well-thought-of individuals to the rest of the community. It was similar to the scenario that happened here in Northern Michigan in the late ‘80s.
“Everyone in this community was fully aware of his background when he was introduced,” said Roy Church, news editor at the Wabash Plain Dealer. “A community leader brought him to the community and introduced him around. He was -- as we all were -- under the impression that this part of Curry’s life was behind him and that Curry would have a lot to offer to the community.”
Curry worked fast, structuring deals as he had done in Northern Michigan. All seemed to be going well. He formed a contracting business with his brother Daniel (Dan was also a part of Curry’s business operations in Northern Michigan). They named the company Jackson Wallace after their two middle names.
In a one-and-a-half year period Curry was owner or co-owner of several businesses in Wabash. His real estate projects included several buildings, such as Art’s Apartments and Art’s Grocery.

SOMETHING SNAPPED
All seemed well. Roy Church recalls Curry coming into the news editor’s office on June 10, 2003 to announce the purchase of a donut shop business. They had a cordial conversation and Church heard nothing in Curry’s voice or actions that anything out of the ordinary was happening.
Curry walked out of the office and something snapped. It has been reported that Curry had met with his brother Daniel at a bar in a neighboring county. The two had a heated argument and Curry walked out and stole a car. Upon his capture by police it was reported that he asked to be “shot.”
Despite his criminal background, Curry was released on $5,000 bond even though he was facing charges of auto theft and resisting arrest. Authorities explained that he was past his parole period, so he was not in violation of parole. County officials didn’t see him as a flight risk with all of his business dealings in the area.
They were wrong. Curry left the area.

IDENTITY THEFT
He landed in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Curry took up residence at a boarding house where he befriended long-term tenant Aldine Grey Hege, Jr.
“I had mixed feelings,” said Hege. “He talked big, saying he was an attorney with an Ivy League education. I couldn’t figure out why he took up residence here. He told me he wanted to help those less fortunate, that he was done with the corporate world.”
That helping-out attitude included assisting Hege in obtaining disability benefits.
“He basically conned me out of my birth certificate and social security card,” said Hege. “He was the same age as me so I guess he felt he could become me.”
Curry became Aldine Grey Hege, Jr. Since Hege is a common name in that part of the country, and with the real Aldine Hege battling several disabilities, Curry had no worries of Hege traveling in the same circles. He eventually moved to neighboring Greensboro where he was active in a Baptist church, became a partner in a car dealership and lived along a fairway of a prominent country club.

CASH DEALS
Before that move, one thing that stood out to the real Aldine Hege was the fact that Curry always had large amounts of cash.
“He told me not to say anything; that he preferred to deal in cash and that he did not trust banks or the government,” said Hege.
Curry’s cash deals were actually a series of bank robberies he had committed with his brother Daniel: possibly 20 bank robberies in total. But federal officials are only charging the Curry brothers on four robberies where they have substantial evidence; and in FBI investigation reports, they note 11 robberies.
Art and Dan Curry possibly started robbing banks in southern Indiana and in Kentucky shortly after Art’s release from prison. The first robbery on record was one year after his release.
It is not clear to anyone why Curry ended up in the Triad of North Carolina. His former wife Kristine has no explanation, nor does Hege: “He never said why he picked this area.”

RED-HANDED
The Currys were captured when Dan tried using some of the red-dyed bills (many banks have dye packets in between bundles that explode shortly after the money has been moved) on a riverboat casino. Authorities were tipped off and spent several weeks watching him before arresting. They found thousands of dollars of dyed bills at a storage unit owned by Daniel Curry, as well as the disguises used in the robberies.
During this time, Art Curry was not the subject of investigation. Dan Curry was arrested in mid-February of 2006. A few weeks later authorities stopped Art Curry’s car in Greensboro. He was arrested for his three-year-old auto theft charge. However, it didn’t take authorities long to connect him to the bank robberies with his brother. He surrendered ownership of 15 vehicles, thousands of dollars in cash, and bank accounts with a collective balance of more than $300,000.
Arthur and Daniel Curry are both in jail waiting for their trial in February on federal bank robbing and weapons charges. Art Curry is nearing 60. If convicted on all counts he will spend the rest of his life in federal prison, as will his brother.

BODY FOUND
A few weeks ago it was discovered by a tip to law enforcement that the remains of a body were located in the basement of a building once owned by Curry in Wabash. The investigation shows that a murder had taken place.
At this time officials investigating are not commenting, but when pressed as to whether Art Curry might be a suspect, chuckles ensued. One investigator on the condition of anonymity stated, “Curry is a person of interest.”
The story of Art Curry is a shocking one. He came to Northern Michigan 20 years ago, full of visions and promises. It is almost eerie how he repeated his behavior when he arrived in Wabash. These communities (Petoskey, Traverse City and Wabash) were not down-and-out when Curry arrived. Though they had some common denominators, all were small towns in need of economic revitalization, filled with big-hearted, trusting residents.

AFTERMATH
Ironically, all three communities bounced back from their Art Curry experiences. In Petoskey, Stafford Smith came to the rescue of the Perry Hotel, and the property stands tall as a historical landmark and economic driver for downtown. In Traverse City, Rotary Charities bailed out the Park Place, renovating it and nursing it back to health before selling it to a private hotel concern. Ironically, Art Curry was Rotary’s “Person of The Year” when he first took over the Park Place.
Roy Church reports the same thing in his hometown of Wabash.
“All the projects started by Curry have been completed and downtown is thriving,” said Church. “Despite what has happened, in one sense Curry’s efforts have had a positive impact on Wabash.”
Now, residents gather at the local coffee shop, speculating as to Curry’s involvement in a murder.

FORMER WIFE’S VIEW
Communities have a tendency to bounce back after being hustled. People often do not. Yet Arthur Curry’s wife Kristine, who was at his side during his days in Northern Michigan, has bounced back. So has her daughter Lindsey.
The former Mrs. Curry refuses to say anything bad about her ex-husband. Instead, she has fond memories of their time together, even though each memory ends with bittersweet thoughts.
“It was through Art that I developed my appreciation for wine, that led to my work as a wine and food writer,” said Kristine Curry. “He is a remarkably brilliant person and these new revelations come as a shock to me. At the time of his conviction for kidnapping I was shown his psychiatric examination and knew he needed help. Like everyone else, I saw the good side of him.”
Until my phone call, Kristine Curry was unaware of her husband’s latest exploits. She had not spoken to him in years, and her daughter Lindsey had also moved on. Kristine started a new life, remarried and climbed the executive ranks of a Fortune 500 company. She recently left to do charitable work with a large hospice organization.
Kristine Curry continues her work as a wine and food writer and visits Michigan often, as she has family here.
Now her daughter Lindsey is getting married. That will be their focus. Lindsey is a writer in the communication field. As she walks the aisle to be wedded, the person she now considers to be her father will escort her. Her biological father, Art Curry, will be walking another aisle -- one that he will walk the rest of his life.
Somehow, we should not count Art Curry out. What’s next? A prison escape? Maybe even an early release because of overcrowded prison conditions. Those of us who know Art Curry believe there is another chapter still to be told.