Chad Curtis, Out of Prison After Being Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Teens, Hoping ‘to Be a Productive Person’

Chad Curtis spent nearly as much time in prison as he did on Major League Baseball fields. Curtis, a former MLB player for six different teams, enjoyed a 10-year career in the big leagues as a speedy outfielder with surprising pop. He won two World Series rings with the New York Yankees. He then spent seven years behind bars after he was convicted of assaulting teenage girls. Curtis was paroled in late September.

Chad Curtis had a successful MLB career

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Chad Curtis overcame the odds. He was selected in the 45th round of the 1989 MLB draft by the California Angels after playing at Grand Canyon University. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Curtis made his big-league debut on April 8, 1992, against the Chicago White Sox. He wound up playing in 139 games his rookie year, hitting .259 with 10 home runs, and 43 stolen bases.

Curtis played three years with the Angels before being traded to the Detroit Tigers for Tony Phillips. He played for six different teams in his career, including three seasons with the New York Yankees. With the Yankees, he was a member of two World Series teams.

Curtis didn’t play in the 1998 World Series against the San Diego Padres but still received a ring. In the 1999 World Series, Curtis played all four games in the sweep of the Atlanta Braves. He smacked a walk-off home run in Game 3, his second of the game. For his career, Curtis hit .264 with 101 home runs and 212 stolen bases.

Chad Curtis lands in prison

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In 2013, Chad Curtis received a sentence of seven to 15 years in prison. He was found guilty of six counts of criminal sexual misconduct for inappropriately touching teenage girls. According to prosecutors, Curtis, then 44, sexually assaulted the girls in 2012 when he was a volunteer weight-room strength trainer at a Michigan high school.

Barry County Circuit Judge Amy McDowell sentenced Curtis and called him a “predator,” according to ESPN. Curtis had told McDowell that the three victims lied. He described himself as a Christian servant and said he and one of the victims “could write a book together someday, and it could have a positive impact on a lot of people.”

“You certainly are a threat to any community you get into,” McDowell told Curtis at the sentencing. One of the victims has spoken during the hearing for the sentencing and called Curtis a manipulator, saying he knew what he was doing.

Curtis was released from prison in September

According to WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Chad Curtis was paroled on Sept. 22 after serving the minimum seven years of a seven-to-15-year prison sentence for inappropriately touching teenage girls in 2012.

A WOOD TV8 reporter went to Curtis’ house after his release, asking him if he had any messages for his victims. “No, not at this point,” Curtis said from his doorway. The reporter then asked what his plans were now that he’s out of prison. “I’m going to try and be a productive person,” he said. “Thanks.”

Curtis has never admitted any guilt. He appealed his conviction back in 2015, but it was upheld.