WATSON BACK IN CUSTODY
Charged with murder, sexual battery and escape
Authorities will consider seeking the death penalty in the case of Curtis Ray Watson, an escaped convict captured by law enforcement Sunday after five days on the run.
“Today Curtis Ray Watson went from being an escaped convict to being a criminal defendant,” District Attorney General Mark Davidson said at a press conference in Ripley Sunday. “I can assure you that our office will be resolved to see that he is put back where he can never escape again and harm anybody in our communities.”
Watson was captured around 11 a.m. Sunday in the 600 block of Caroline Street, said David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. He surrendered without incident after exiting a soybean field about 10 miles from West Tennessee State Penitentiary.
The escaped inmate was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated sexual battery and especially aggravated burglary in connection to the homicide of Correctional Administrator Debra Johnson, the Tennessee Department of Correction said in a press release. He is also charged with escape.
Watson, 44, was serving a 15-year sentence for an especially aggravated kidnapping charge. The Tennessee Department of Correction’s Office of Investi
gation and Compliance is continuing to work with other agencies to investigate the incident and bring additional charges if appropriate, the TDOC said.
Tip led to Watson’s capture
Authorities converged on the area surrounding Caroline Street and Highway 87 after receiving a tip from Henning residents Harvey and Ann Taylor around 3:30 a.m.
The Taylors spotted Watson on their home surveillance system, taking drinks out of their outdoor refrigerator. When the intruder closed the refrigerator door, Ann Taylor immediately recognized his face.
“I was frightened at first,” Harvey Taylor said. “When we recognized who it was, it heightened that (fear).”
Harvey Taylor said he retrieved his weapon in case Watson tried to enter the home and the couple called 911. Within 30 minutes, hundreds of law enforcement officers swarmed the area and began a ground and air search, according to Rausch.
Watson was captured just 750 feet from the Taylors’ home.
When asked if he expects to receive the $57,000 reward for Watson’s capture, Harvey Taylor said, “I would think so.”
“I’m just relieved that it went the way it did,” Harvey Taylor said.
‘Relieved (for it) to be over’
Watson was taken to a hospital to be treated for mosquito bites, ticks and other afflictions from his time spent outdoors.
Rausch said Watson made “small talk” with his captors as he was taken into custody.
“He was relieved (for it) to be over,” Rausch said.
He thanked the community for their diligence and support as well as the team of hundreds of law enforcement officers from numerous local, state and federal agencies.
TBI said 430 tips came in during the search for Watson.
“Four days of no sleep, it’s amazing what they got accomplished. The pressure that they put on Watson while he was on the run was absolutely critical,” Rausch said.
Investigators are still processing the backpack Watson was carrying with him. Rausch said it’s unclear if he was carrying a weapon at this time.
Investigators do not suspect Watson had any assistance in his escape; everything he carried with him, he stole from other locations, according to Rausch.
Seeking justice for Debra Johnson
Johnson, a corrections administrator at the prison, was found dead in her residence 30 minutes after prison officials discovered Watson was missing.
Johnson served with TDOC for more than 38 years. Tennessee Department of Corrections Commissioner Tony Parker remembers her as “a true corrections professional in every way” whose heart was in her work.
Parker said he spoke to Johnson’s family Sunday and they wished to express their thanks to everyone involved for their prayers and work in bringing Watson into custody.
Watson is now in custody, but the work of coming to terms with Johnson’s tragic death has just begun, Commissioner of Department of Safety and Homeland Security Jeff Long said.
“We wish her and her family godspeed and we will be with them during this most difficult time,” he said.
Watson will be arraigned in Lauderdale County General Sessions Court in the coming week.
“It will not end until we get justice for Debra Johnson and her family,” Davidson said.
Authorities converged on the area surrounding Caroline Street and Highway 87 after receiving a tip from Henning residents Harvey and Ann Taylor around 3:30 a.m. The Taylors spotted Watson on their home surveillance system, taking drinks out of their outdoor refrigerator. When the intruder closed the refrigerator door, Ann Taylor immediately recognized his face.