A Lexington man accused of carrying out a violent, hours-long robbery spree across Fayette and Franklin counties has agreed to plead guilty in federal court, ending a case that has been delayed for nearly two years by competency proceedings and trial continuances. Maurice A. Curry, 24, will plead guilty to five counts of robbery affecting interstate commerce and three counts tied to using or brandishing a firearm during the crimes, according to a plea agreement filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss one additional firearm count at sentencing. The plea lays out a series of robberies that began just after midnight on Sept. 10, 2023, and escalated in violence as the night went on. According to the agreement, Curry first targeted Lex Liquor on Richmond Road in Lexington, where he allegedly tried to crawl through a drive-up window, shocked a clerk in the chest with a stun gun and threatened to shoot the clerk and store owner. He is accused of stealing about $1,028 from a cash drawer and damaging store equipment. Roughly three hours later, prosecutors say Curry robbed a Speedway on Tates Creek Road, jumping onto the counter, punching a female clerk and using a taser on her neck and body before fleeing with about $70. Later that morning, Curry allegedly struck in Frankfort, robbing Katz Food Mart on Georgetown Road. The plea says he pulled out a pink taser, shoved the clerk to the ground, stomped on her neck and struck her in the face, sending her to the emergency room. He fled with about $300. While police were responding to that robbery, officers received reports of two more robberies in Frankfort — at a Shell station and a Walgreens, both on Versailles Road. At the Shell, Curry allegedly robbed the clerk at gunpoint, beat him with the firearm and stole about $5,000 along with electronics, including an iPhone, a MacBook and AirPods, and a set of keys. At Walgreens, prosecutors say Curry leaned over an open cash drawer and took money while holding a firearm across his chest. A witness photographed a maroon Lexus Curry was seen entering, and officers later tracked the stolen electronic devices to locate the vehicle, according to the plea. When police attempted a traffic stop, Curry allegedly fled, crashed the vehicle and ran before being captured after a foot chase. Investigators say they recovered evidence linking him to the robberies. Under federal law, the plea carries the prospect of decades in prison. Each robbery count carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years. One firearm count requires a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, and two brandishing counts require at least seven years each — all of which must be served consecutively to one another and to any robbery sentence. The agreement also states Curry will be required to pay restitution of at least $6,398, with the final amount to be determined before sentencing. Court records show Curry was indicted in March 2024 and initially scheduled for trial that June. The case was repeatedly delayed after the court ordered a federal mental competency evaluation through the Bureau of Prisons. Curry later filed, then withdrew, a notice signaling an insanity defense. Curry is represented by Lexington attorney Abraham Isa Mashni. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Karen K. Caldwell. The post Lexington man pleads guilty in string of armed robberies across Central Kentucky appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less