Bribe extends man's sentence

Bribing a victim

Attempting to bribe his victim into not coming to court for trial seems to have added an extra five years to the sentence of an Aiken felon.

Damian Curry, 28, of Ridgecrest Road in Aiken, was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday after reluctantly admitting to the 2009 armed robbery of an acquaintance.

Curry's deal was severely affected by actions he took after holding his friend at gunpoint. In jail, Curry directly, and through a third party, contacted the victim and his wife. According to Assistant Solicitor David Miller, Curry offered the victim money if he failed to turn up for trial. The Solicitor's Office and deputies at the jail monitored Curry's calls from the facility and discovered his scheme. The original plea offer was for Curry to spend 10 years in jail, the statutory minimum for armed robbery.

The defendant has a lengthy criminal history that includes multiple convictions for resisting arrest as well as failing to stop for police and giving false information to an officer.

The crime happened July 4, 2009, when Curry held a friend at gunpoint and stole a pistol belonging to his victim.

Curry pleaded guilty after the Solicitor's Office said in open court that if he did not accept a plea agreement by the end of the day, he would face trial first thing Monday. As a crime categorized as most serious by the State, Curry must serve a minimum of 85 percent of his sentence.

Shoplifting

Crystal Hutto Rutland, 46, of Beech Island, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of enhanced shoplifting and one count of grand larceny. Rutland, who now has a total of nine convictions for shoplifting, admitted to the thefts. Her full sentence is 10 years on one shoplifting count followed by two years on the other charges.

Between Aug. 31, 2009, and Jan. 15, 2010, while on parole for previous theft charges, Rutland stole items from local merchants and chain stores, which she said was to feed a long-standing drug addiction.

At the hearing, two of the local merchants spoke and asked Judge Doyet A. "Jack" Early to send Rutland to jail. The pair outlined similar schemes she and accomplices used to steal, including using accomplices to distract while Rutland stole items.

Early gave Rutland the maximum sentence for the enhanced shoplifting charge, which is charged for a defendant's third offense. He then ran the other sentence consecutive to that, meaning she will have to serve the maximum on the 10-year sentence before beginning the two-year term.

"That's about as long as you get on shoplifting," Early told the victims.

Delinquency

Casey Elizabeth Busbee, 22, of Warrenville, was fined Thursday after admitting to involving two 12-year-old girls in a scheme to steal from a chain store. Busbee, who had no prior criminal record, pleaded guilty to two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

According to Assistant Solicitor Brenda Brisbin, Busbee used the two girls to assist her while she cut security cords off cameras before placing them in their purses. The trio stole more than $500 worth of goods, including jewelry and CDs.

Busbee was sentenced to either 45 days in prison or to pay a $100 fine.

Contact Mike Gellatly at mgellatly@aikenstandard.com.