Sexual Abuser Swim Coach Rick Curl Released From Prison Early

Braden Keith
by Braden Keith 18

September 16th, 2016 National, News

In May of 2013, swim coach Rick Curl was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with all but 7 of those years suspended, for sexually abusing Kelly Currin from 1983 to 1987 while coaching her at the Curl Burke Swim Club.

After a request for reconsideration of the sentence opened late last year, however, Curl has been released from prison approximately halfway through his sentence.

According to Maryland court records, a motion for reconsideration of sentence was filed by Curl’s attorneys with judge Marielsa Bernard, on October 2nd, 2015 – two years after the last activity in the case.

After many hearings and motions, judge Bernard sentenced curl to 15 years in prison, but revised it to all but time served suspended, plus 5 years of supervised probation subject to special conditions.

Curl pleaded guilty to sexually abusing Currin beginning in 1983 when she was 13 years old and he was 33. In 2012, a document emerged showing a financial non-disclosure agreement between Curl and Currin (then Davies) where he paid the Davies family $150,000 in exchange for the family agreeing not to speak of any misdeeds or press any charges.

Curl, who was credentialed to attend the 2012 Olympic Trials 2 months after USA Swimming interviewed Currin about the abuse (reported to Safe Sport a year earlier by someone else), was added to USA Swimming’s list of Permanently Ineligible or Suspended Individuals in September of 2012.

At the time of the information coming to light, the Curl-Burke Swim Club was the largest in the country, and has since been reorganized and rebranded as the Nation’s Capital Swim Club under new ownership.

Currin would go on to swim at the University of Texas.

Prior to Currins’ revelation, Curl was best known for coaching an Americans swimmer to three medals at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

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ou812
6 years ago

Is he listed on the Sex Offender Registry now?

HulkSwim
8 years ago

super frustrating.

Hank
8 years ago

Hey Rick, how was jail? Make some new friends?

Onthedeck
8 years ago

Why early release? This makes no sense.

G.I.N.A
Reply to  Onthedeck
8 years ago

Not that they’ll catch many but the homicide total for Baltimore is 218 so far in 2016 . Most are shootings but there was a stabbing spree in August & asphyxiation made a dent in Sept . At the height of Baltimore civilisation in 2011 it was 187. They also have to pay out mega sums to the 6 police officers slandered by Marilyn Moseby .

Prisoners costs $$$ & that nice man in cell block32 might as well go ..

Fly Mike
Reply to  G.I.N.A
8 years ago

Dude, stop.

This has nothing to do with the child molester Rick Curl. Please, blast him.

Billabong
Reply to  Fly Mike
8 years ago

GINA is a nice lady from Australia.

G.I.N.A
Reply to  Fly Mike
8 years ago

I judge each case .Some I think are rotten & others are shared responsibility .

swimdoc
Reply to  G.I.N.A
8 years ago

I get your point, but even in satire, “nice man” is inappropriate here.

sportinindc
Reply to  G.I.N.A
8 years ago

Why the Baltimore reference? Was he being held in Baltimore?

G.I.N.A
Reply to  sportinindc
8 years ago

I am presuming he was held in the state prison system . Maryland Dept officials were optimistic that some of the latest murder wave would actually be coming but probably not . Still one less to feed .

CROOKED HILLARY
Reply to  G.I.N.A
8 years ago

I think you make a point in that Curl is 66/67 and age probably played into it taking an older prisoner out to make room. The biggest injustice here IMO is that he was allowed to walk free for almost 30 years after committing the crime and then served what? 3 or 4 years? It’s a shame he wasn’t locked up sooner, but strange circumstances. Davies parents became aware of the abuse and confronted Curl at their kitchen table and made him sign a confession. Then nothing really happened. You would think that confession letter and the fact everyone knew about it would have sealed his fate.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ex-swimming-coach-rick-curl-to-be-sentenced-in-child-sex-abuse-case/2013/05/23/d80320f2-c3a5-11e2-9fe2-6ee52d0eb7c1_story.html

Joel Lin
Reply to  Onthedeck
8 years ago

Maryland is known for two things;

1. Draconian judges (and racist, although that does not apply here) who sentence defendants straight to maximums,
2. Prison overcrowding.

Montgomery & Prince Georges Counties are sewer holes from a legal perspective and a disgrace to the American justice system. Overt racial profiling & vitriolic, yet non discrimination based, sentencing by their judges.

Montgomery & Prince Georges are just about the worst places in America to be tried as a black, and are among the worst for whites/other in terms of sentencing guidelines (particularly for first time offenders). All that, and the State Attorney is a pimp for publicity no less than his predecessor. Montgomery is the county where the clown State’s… Read more »

Swimmon
Reply to  Joel Lin
8 years ago

No, Maryland is known for crabs and humidity in the summer.

occasional traveler
Reply to  Swimmon
8 years ago

No mention of terrible drivers???

CROOKED HILLARY
Reply to  Joel Lin
8 years ago

There’s also the possibility that the prisons are overcrowded due to the high level of crime and repeat offenders. The judges maybe trying to impose stiff punishments as a deterrent for the population to become law biding. That may or may not be the correct course of action, but there’s plenty of blame to go around for those who become incarcerated. They aren’t thrown in jail for no reason at all. Let’s also not forget the good mayor of Baltimore and her botched handling of the Freddie Gray case trying to make it a racial issue when it clearly wasn’t. It’s not just the judges who are the issue in that system.

Beth
Reply to  Joel Lin
2 years ago

Montgomery county courts are based on who you know. Not facts. Whites or minorities. Rick Curl was my coach when I was 17 and even as a very shy young lady he just seemed like a person you wouldn’t want to know. I am surprised there weren’t more coming forward. I wonder how many refuse to admit it.

Fly Mike
8 years ago

Dude is a POS

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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