FAYETTEVILLE — A Springdale man was convicted of endangering the lives of several police officers who were trying to help save his life after an intentional overdose.
Jeremy Allen Curl, 41, was charged with four counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and acquitted of two of the counts by a Washington County Circuit Court jury Tuesday night. Curl was sentenced Wednesday to five years at the Arkansas Department of Correction on each count, to run concurrently, and fines of $2,500 on each count.
Curl had taken hydrocodone and barricaded himself in the bedroom of the home he shared with his mother in July 2015, according to testimony in the case. Paramedics went to the home, but Curl refused to come out, saying he wanted to be left alone to die.
Paramedics called police to assist. After waiting about an hour, four officers and paramedics decided they needed to breach the bedroom door.
“It was getting close to where we get in there to save him or it’d be too late,” said Brian Sams, one of the officers involved. “We decided to go in to save his life.”
After kicking in the door, police saw Curl on the bed holding what appeared to be a handgun and a knife. Curl pointed the handgun at police and told them to shoot him. Police responded by shocking Curl with a stun device and disarming him before he was taken to a hospital.
The handgun turned out to be a pellet gun, according to police.
Prosecutors said Curl engaged in conduct that created a substantial risk of death or injury to the police officers.
John Snyder, one of the deputy prosecutors on the case, told jurors the police officers saved Curl’s life, but he put their lives in danger.
Scott Parks, one of Curl’s defense attorneys, told jurors the only person whose life was in danger was Curl, and there was insufficient evidence Curl placed the officer’s lives in danger.
“There was no risk of an actual life being harmed other than his own,” Parks said.
The fact that officers chose not to use lethal force was circumstantial evidence Curl’s actions didn’t rise to a level that posed a threat to the officer’s lives, Parks said.
Seth Creed, deputy prosecutor, said Curl created a highstress, fast moving situation in which anything could have happened.
Police officers testified Tuesday that Curl dropped the pellet gun when he was shocked, but continued to make slashing motions with the knife until officers wrestled the blade away from him.
“The second we entered the room we were within range (of the knife), said Jason Beeker, one of the officers.
Ron Wood can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWARDW.