Passenger in SUV crash that killed state trooper sentenced to 2.5 years

HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind. – A judge sentenced a man who was riding in a stolen SUV that hit and killed an Indiana state trooper last year.

On Monday, Hendricks County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Zielinski handed down the sentence for Demareon Curry on Monday. He received the maximum of 2.5 years in the Indiana Department of Correction.

Curry was a passenger in a stolen vehicle at the center of a police pursuit in June 2023. Indiana State Trooper Aaron Smith died after a crash brought an end to the pursuit.

Curry agreed to plead guilty to resisting law enforcement earlier this year and had a change of plea hearing in May.

According to the Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office, Curry’s sentence included an aggravating factor for his “extensive and violent juvenile criminal history.”

“The court saw through Mr. Curry’s feigned remorse and saw him for what he is, a violent criminal,” said Hendricks County Prosecutors Loren Delp in a statement.

“While Curry may not have been driving the vehicle at the time Trooper Smith was killed, he is morally culpable for his death. Curry’s 2.5 year sentence, the maximum allowed by law, is a reminder that while we are blessed to live under the greatest legal system ever created, it is still an imperfect one.”

Troopers were chasing a stolen SUV on Ronald Reagan Parkway, where Smith was attempting to deploy stop sticks near the entrance to the I-70 westbound ramp.

Video showed the SUV swerve toward Smith, who went airborne. The 33-year-old state trooper died from his injuries.

Police said Eddie Jones Jr. was behind the wheel of the vehicle, while Curry was a passenger. The SUV had been reported stolen in Missouri about a week before the chase and crash.

Jones told investigators that Curry told him to head for the interstate because police would “terminate” the pursuit.

Jones is charged with murder, resisting law enforcement and auto theft. His trial, which had been scheduled to start in October, has been rescheduled for January 2025.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyWabashValley.com.