Man Who Taped and Gagged Daughter on Facebook Thanks Church for Support
Andre Curry, the man who became infamous for posting a picture of his daughter taped and bound on Facebook, has thanked a Chicago church for supporting him.
Curry, 21, thanked members of the Life Center Church in Chicago for their support, after spending a month in Cook County jail. Curry was arrested after photos of his 22-month-old daughter taped and gagged went viral.
However, members of the South Side Church pulled together to support him and get his bail lowered, according to the Chicago Tribune. Curry was released on Friday.
"I would like to thank Life Center for all of your prayers, faith, belief, and all of the signatures, from the bottom of my heart," Curry told church members during a Sunday Service. "You are part of the reason why I'm here."
Assistant Pastor Torrey L. Barret took an interest in Curry's case and convinced hundreds of members to sign letters in support of Curry. Barrett lost his sister to domestic violence and said he didn't feel Curry meant to hurt his daughter.
"When I went to go see him, I said there is no way that this brother meant his daughter any harm," Barret said. Members of the church, along with Curry's family raised $3,000 for the 10 percent of Curry's reduced bond, according to Rrstar.com.
Although he is a free man, Curry is still barred from having contact with his daughter and her mother. He will have to be evaluated and appear before the court again in order to regain those privileges.
Curry's family and his attorney claim he was joking when he bound and gagged his daughter with duct tape and posted the picture on the web.
The child's mother, Yasmin Doss, said Curry is a great guy and the whole thing was a lighthearted joke, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
"He's been called a monster and stuff and Dre's just a good guy," Doss said. Members of the Life Center Church have asked a judge to drop charges of aggravated domestic battery and unlawful restraint against Curry.