Fugitive in New Jersey drug case held at jail
A fugitive in a two-year-old felony drug case in New Jersey remains in Butler County Prison after his arrest last week in Butler, authorities said.
City police apparently did not know Bruce C. Curry, 59, of Butler was a wanted man at about 4 p.m. June 30, when they found him while investigating a trespassing call at a store on North Main Street.
But when officers checked with the National Crime Information Center database, they learned of the warrant for him in Essex County, N.J. The warrant was for “full extradition,” which means nationwide extradition.
District Judge Sue Haggerty arraigned Curry on a charge of arrest prior to requisition — meaning he is a fugitive from justice — in connection with the out-of-state warrant.
At his arraignment Curry told Haggerty that he is disabled and unemployed, and that he is a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army and National Guard.
He said he is divorced and has two children, ages 34 and 31.
Curry is being held in the county jail on $40,000 bail. There is also a hold detainer on him.
Kevin Lynch, spokesman for the Essex County Sheriff's Office, said Curry was booked into the Essex County Jail on drug charges Feb. 20, 2016. He was released July 26, 2016, on $25,000 bail.
Lynch referred questions about the drug case to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. A telephone call to office spokesman Katherine Carter was not returned Friday.
