AUBURN — A judge sentenced a Sabattus man Friday to spend nearly five years in prison for killing an Auburn woman after the truck he was driving crashed into the car in which she was a passenger last summer.
Ryan Curran of Sabattus stands Friday next to his attorney, Timothy Zerillo, in Androscoggin County Superior Court in Auburn. Curran was sentenced to 58 months in prison stemming from a fatal crash in Lewiston on June 8, 2022. Christopher Williams/Sun Journal
In a plea agreement, Ryan Curran, 38, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but most of that time was suspended except for 58 months. He’ll be on probation for four years after he’s released from prison.
Curran pleaded guilty Friday to four counts of a 20-count indictment stemming from the June 8 crash at the intersection of Lisbon Street and Scribner Boulevard in Lewiston.
Prosecutors dismissed the remaining 16 charges following Curran’s plea and sentencing Friday.
He admitted Friday that at the time of the crash he was in violation of his probation on an earlier conviction of drug trafficking.
Curran also pleaded guilty Friday to charges of manslaughter, operating after suspension or revocation and causing an accident resulting in death, driving to endanger and aggravated criminal operating under the influence, all felonies.
Shari Williams, 60, of Auburn had been a passenger in the back seat of a car that had been stopped at a traffic light at the intersection, Assistant District Attorney Patricia Mador said Friday in Androscoggin County Superior Court.
Police said the 2000 heavy duty pickup truck driven by Curran was inbound on Lisbon Street when it crashed from behind into and rolled over the car occupied by Williams and three others.
The force of the impact forced the car into a cargo van stopped in front of it, Mador said.
She showed a video clip of the crash that was captured on a street camera.
Williams died from her injuries in the crash, Mador said.
When the pickup truck came to a stop, Curran could be seen on video entering the bathroom of a nearby convenience store. Police later found drug paraphernalia in that bathroom.
Curran told police that he and his brother, who was a passenger in the truck, had returned from work in Camden, had eaten lunch and were on their way to another job.
He told police he had used crack cocaine the previous two nights and had discarded evidence in the bathroom, Mador said.
His brother had told police he had been looking at his cellphone shortly before the crash and when he looked up, his brother appeared to be asleep behind the steering wheel.
Crash reconstruction experts estimated the speed of the truck was roughly 21 mph at the time of the collision. There was no evidence Curran had touched the brakes, Mador said.
A blood test showed several drugs in Curran’s system at the time of the crash, Mador said, including cocaine and opioids.
Other passengers in the car sustained serious injuries from the crash, Mador said.
The driver of the car said Friday that he has found it difficult to get through each day since the crash.
He said he now suffers from extreme anxiety stemming from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe major depressive disorder.
He told Curran he had chosen to drive under the influence and, as a result, took the life of “a great friend to many, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a daughter and a sister. I truly hope you think long and hard about the lives you have changed. I hope that some day I can find it in my heart to forgive you and hopefully forget this ever happened.”
Williams’ sister said Friday that she had an “emptiness inside” and “life isn’t the same without Shari.”
An attorney representing the victim’s family in a civil matter read a statement from Peter Williams, Shari’s husband.
“Nothing I can ever do or say can change the bad decisions made that day … that took the life of my wife, Shari Williams,” the attorney read. The husband’s statement said he will never be the same without his high school sweetheart who would have celebrated their 43rd anniversary.
“The loss is unbearable for all of us. It’s a nightmare that I’ll never wake up from,” the attorney read.
While Curran was free on bail he complied with all terms of his release, including drug tests.
His attorney, Timothy Zerillo, said his client has great remorse for his actions and had “recommitted to his religion” and “I think he has made tremendous strides” in his personal growth.
Curran briefly said he was sorry.
His father told the judge his son had relived the crash many times and has matured since the crash.
“From here on he’s going to be a very good person,” he said.
Curran was handcuffed and led from the courtroom by deputies after Friday’s hearing.
When Curran is released from prison, he must not have any alcohol or illegal drugs for which he can be searched and tested at random.
He must undergo counseling and treatment for substance abuse.
Curran may have no contact with the victim’s family.
He may reapply for his driver’s license 10 years after he’s released from prison.
A pickup truck driven June 8, 2022, by Ryan Curran, 37, of Sabattus slammed into a car stopped at a red light on Lisbon Street in Lewiston, killing Shari Williams, 60, of Auburn. On Friday, Curran was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for manslaughter. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
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