Individual Details
Daniel Joe "DJ" FURR Jr.
(18 Nov 1975 - 16 Jan 2026)
Danville standoff ends peacefully
By Mark Scott
government@couriernews.com
DANVILLE — An armed Danville man took control of a pharmacy for more than three hours Saturday, surrendering without incident after negotiating with Yell County authorities. The man, identified by police as Danny Furr, made overtures as if he was going to kill himself, holding the loaded pistol to his head during most of the standoff Saturday, Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey said. Furr turned over the weapon after Yell County authorities agreed to take him to The BridgeWay Hospital in Little Rock instead of jail. Gilkey said Furr did not have any hostages, and authorities spent much of the time conversing with Furr about a variety of issues attempting to talk him into surrendering. “There were several real tense moments inside there,” Gilkey said. “We were honest with him the entire time. Our biggest concern was him and his well-being. Time was on our side, and we just spent the afternoon talking.” J.B. Fleming of Waveland said he was shopping at the Family Pharmacy on Highway 10 in Danville when Furr entered around 11:30 a.m. holding the gun at his side. Fleming said Furr asked for Chuck Wilson, the pharmacy’s owner, and ordered everyone out of the store when he was told Wilson wasn’t there. Fleming said the customers and employees quickly left Furr alone in the building and notified authorities. “He didn’t ask for any drugs or money,” Fleming said. “He just ordered everybody out of the store, and everybody left.” As Danville police officers arrived to create a perimeter around the building, Yell County Sheriff’s Lt. David Kimball contacted Furr on the telephone inside the business. When Kimball arrived, he received permission from Furr to enter the building and continue the dialog, Gilkey said. Authorities said they provided Furr with a Dr. Pepper, a pack of cigarettes and a cheeseburger from Fowler’s Restaurant in Danville, all of which had been requested by Furr during the negotiation process. In order to surrender, Gilkey said, Furr required the sheriff to provide him with a typewritten letter promising to take him to The BridgeWay Hospital in Little Rock instead of to jail. Gilkey left the scene momentarily to type the letter at his office about a mile away. After Furr received that letter and an unmarked vehicle was brought in to transport him to Little Rock, Furr laid the gun down on a counter inside the store and surrendered around 3 p.m., Gilkey said.
As promised, Furr was taken directly to Little Rock. Gilkey said the hospital was contacted during the standoff and agreed to accept Furr. Furr’s mother, JoAnn Hurlburt of Belleville, was called to the business shortly after Furr began talking to authorities. At one point, Furr told his mother to leave the area. “I knew that he wasn’t going to hurt anybody else; that’s just not Danny,” Hurlburt said. “I was worried that he might hurt himself. ... I think this was his way of trying to get some help.” Gilkey said Furr was a customer of the pharmacy and knew Wilson personally. He said Furr never pointed the gun at anyone other than himself.
Furr’s brother, Bruce Burchard of Plainview, said Furr had previously been treated at BridgeWay. He thanked law enforcement officers after the standoff ended.
“I’m glad they got that damn gun away from him,” Burchard said. “Now he’ll get the help that he needs.” Danville Police Chief Rick Padgett said Furr has recently purchased the Lorcin .380-caliber pistol from an individual. The gun had a round in the chamber and seven additional rounds in the clip when he turned it over to authorities. He said the teamwork of the various emergency agencies involved helped defuse the situation. “Every hostage situation is different,” Padgett said. “It is never just a routine situation. There wasn’t any sense in rushing around. Time was on our side.” Traffic on Highway 10 was rerouted away from the pharmacy, Padgett said. A perimeter was secured, and adjacent businesses were evacuated.
Officers from the Yell County Sheriff’s Office and Danville and Ola police departments, along with the Danville Emergency Rescue Team and Yell County Emergency Medical Services assisted in the standoff Saturday.
The Courier, Russellville, Yell County, Arkansas, May 24, 2003
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
Sheriff Bill Gilkey with the Yell County Sheriff's Department announced Wednesday the arrest of an Ola man in connection with the death of a three-year-old girl, Ivy Curtis, in August 2008. The death of a three-year-old who died in a house fire in Belleville is now ruled a murder. The fire happened on August 15th, 2008. The girl's mother Holly Curtis and her boyfriend Danny Joe Furr were home at the time. Now, after an intense 8-month investigation, police are confident they have enough evidence to prove three-year-old Ivy died before the fire. On August 15th police and firefighters showed up to what looked like an accidental house fire where a 3-year-old girl died and two adults made it out. Lt. John Foster with the Yell County Sheriff's Department says, "We did a search warrant the next morning soon after the fire and went and gathered evidence at the scene." Lt. Foster says investigators found evidence of foul play in the toddlers room and the mothers boyfriend Danny Joe Furr gave inconsistent statements. He says "Mr. Furr has only limited cooperation with us he requested an attorney early on in the investigation." After several weeks the Arkansas State Crime Lab results came in with evidence of an accelerant in the room where 3-year-old Ivy died and with traces of Valium and Lidocaine in her system. "And they (Crime Lab) said that caused a condition that caused her death before the fire, so the child was actually dead before it started," Lt. Foster adds. Friday, deputies arrested 32-year-old Danny Furr on murder and arson charges. Lt. Foster explains, "It's had a big impact on the community. I've been especially concerned with the firefighters who responded to the scene because a lot of them were having difficulty with this after having to go work that scene." Lt. Foster says although Furr continues to maintain his innocence he will now have to prove it, "We just hope everything goes well in the trial and we're looking forward to giving him a fair trail and seeing how things go there." Police tell us the toddler's mom, Holly Curtis has never been a suspect. She has two other children who were at their grandparents at the time of the fire. Furr is in jail in Danville on a $750,000 bond.
Yell County Sheriff's Department Press Release:
Danny Joe Furr (32), was served with an arrest warrant on Friday, May 1, 2009, charging him with one count of Murder in the First Degree, and one count of Arson. The arrest came at the end of an eight month investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Sheriff's Department. Sheriff's investigators responded on the morning of August 15, 2008, to the scene of a house fire near Belleville, Arkansas, where the body of Curtis was found in a back room. Investigators from the Sheriff's Department and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Arkansas State Police then executed a search warrant on the residence and collected several items of evidence which were later submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. According to Lt. John Foster, of the Sheriff's Department, investigators obtained statements from both Holly Curtis (30), the child's mother, and Danny Joe Furr, the mother's boyfriend at the time, soon after the fire. Foster indicated that both Furr and Curtis were home at the time of the fire, but the investigation had led to charges against Furr after a thorough review of the evidence and several inconsistencies were uncovered in statements Furr had made to investigators. According to reports from the Arkansas State Medical examiner, the child had died prior to the fire, and the cause of death was due to a condition resulting from illicit drug ingestion. Additional reports from the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory indicated that evidence of the presence of accelerants was discovered in the room where the child's body was recovered.
By Mark Scott
government@couriernews.com
DANVILLE — An armed Danville man took control of a pharmacy for more than three hours Saturday, surrendering without incident after negotiating with Yell County authorities. The man, identified by police as Danny Furr, made overtures as if he was going to kill himself, holding the loaded pistol to his head during most of the standoff Saturday, Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey said. Furr turned over the weapon after Yell County authorities agreed to take him to The BridgeWay Hospital in Little Rock instead of jail. Gilkey said Furr did not have any hostages, and authorities spent much of the time conversing with Furr about a variety of issues attempting to talk him into surrendering. “There were several real tense moments inside there,” Gilkey said. “We were honest with him the entire time. Our biggest concern was him and his well-being. Time was on our side, and we just spent the afternoon talking.” J.B. Fleming of Waveland said he was shopping at the Family Pharmacy on Highway 10 in Danville when Furr entered around 11:30 a.m. holding the gun at his side. Fleming said Furr asked for Chuck Wilson, the pharmacy’s owner, and ordered everyone out of the store when he was told Wilson wasn’t there. Fleming said the customers and employees quickly left Furr alone in the building and notified authorities. “He didn’t ask for any drugs or money,” Fleming said. “He just ordered everybody out of the store, and everybody left.” As Danville police officers arrived to create a perimeter around the building, Yell County Sheriff’s Lt. David Kimball contacted Furr on the telephone inside the business. When Kimball arrived, he received permission from Furr to enter the building and continue the dialog, Gilkey said. Authorities said they provided Furr with a Dr. Pepper, a pack of cigarettes and a cheeseburger from Fowler’s Restaurant in Danville, all of which had been requested by Furr during the negotiation process. In order to surrender, Gilkey said, Furr required the sheriff to provide him with a typewritten letter promising to take him to The BridgeWay Hospital in Little Rock instead of to jail. Gilkey left the scene momentarily to type the letter at his office about a mile away. After Furr received that letter and an unmarked vehicle was brought in to transport him to Little Rock, Furr laid the gun down on a counter inside the store and surrendered around 3 p.m., Gilkey said.
As promised, Furr was taken directly to Little Rock. Gilkey said the hospital was contacted during the standoff and agreed to accept Furr. Furr’s mother, JoAnn Hurlburt of Belleville, was called to the business shortly after Furr began talking to authorities. At one point, Furr told his mother to leave the area. “I knew that he wasn’t going to hurt anybody else; that’s just not Danny,” Hurlburt said. “I was worried that he might hurt himself. ... I think this was his way of trying to get some help.” Gilkey said Furr was a customer of the pharmacy and knew Wilson personally. He said Furr never pointed the gun at anyone other than himself.
Furr’s brother, Bruce Burchard of Plainview, said Furr had previously been treated at BridgeWay. He thanked law enforcement officers after the standoff ended.
“I’m glad they got that damn gun away from him,” Burchard said. “Now he’ll get the help that he needs.” Danville Police Chief Rick Padgett said Furr has recently purchased the Lorcin .380-caliber pistol from an individual. The gun had a round in the chamber and seven additional rounds in the clip when he turned it over to authorities. He said the teamwork of the various emergency agencies involved helped defuse the situation. “Every hostage situation is different,” Padgett said. “It is never just a routine situation. There wasn’t any sense in rushing around. Time was on our side.” Traffic on Highway 10 was rerouted away from the pharmacy, Padgett said. A perimeter was secured, and adjacent businesses were evacuated.
Officers from the Yell County Sheriff’s Office and Danville and Ola police departments, along with the Danville Emergency Rescue Team and Yell County Emergency Medical Services assisted in the standoff Saturday.
The Courier, Russellville, Yell County, Arkansas, May 24, 2003
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
Sheriff Bill Gilkey with the Yell County Sheriff's Department announced Wednesday the arrest of an Ola man in connection with the death of a three-year-old girl, Ivy Curtis, in August 2008. The death of a three-year-old who died in a house fire in Belleville is now ruled a murder. The fire happened on August 15th, 2008. The girl's mother Holly Curtis and her boyfriend Danny Joe Furr were home at the time. Now, after an intense 8-month investigation, police are confident they have enough evidence to prove three-year-old Ivy died before the fire. On August 15th police and firefighters showed up to what looked like an accidental house fire where a 3-year-old girl died and two adults made it out. Lt. John Foster with the Yell County Sheriff's Department says, "We did a search warrant the next morning soon after the fire and went and gathered evidence at the scene." Lt. Foster says investigators found evidence of foul play in the toddlers room and the mothers boyfriend Danny Joe Furr gave inconsistent statements. He says "Mr. Furr has only limited cooperation with us he requested an attorney early on in the investigation." After several weeks the Arkansas State Crime Lab results came in with evidence of an accelerant in the room where 3-year-old Ivy died and with traces of Valium and Lidocaine in her system. "And they (Crime Lab) said that caused a condition that caused her death before the fire, so the child was actually dead before it started," Lt. Foster adds. Friday, deputies arrested 32-year-old Danny Furr on murder and arson charges. Lt. Foster explains, "It's had a big impact on the community. I've been especially concerned with the firefighters who responded to the scene because a lot of them were having difficulty with this after having to go work that scene." Lt. Foster says although Furr continues to maintain his innocence he will now have to prove it, "We just hope everything goes well in the trial and we're looking forward to giving him a fair trail and seeing how things go there." Police tell us the toddler's mom, Holly Curtis has never been a suspect. She has two other children who were at their grandparents at the time of the fire. Furr is in jail in Danville on a $750,000 bond.
Yell County Sheriff's Department Press Release:
Danny Joe Furr (32), was served with an arrest warrant on Friday, May 1, 2009, charging him with one count of Murder in the First Degree, and one count of Arson. The arrest came at the end of an eight month investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Sheriff's Department. Sheriff's investigators responded on the morning of August 15, 2008, to the scene of a house fire near Belleville, Arkansas, where the body of Curtis was found in a back room. Investigators from the Sheriff's Department and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Arkansas State Police then executed a search warrant on the residence and collected several items of evidence which were later submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. According to Lt. John Foster, of the Sheriff's Department, investigators obtained statements from both Holly Curtis (30), the child's mother, and Danny Joe Furr, the mother's boyfriend at the time, soon after the fire. Foster indicated that both Furr and Curtis were home at the time of the fire, but the investigation had led to charges against Furr after a thorough review of the evidence and several inconsistencies were uncovered in statements Furr had made to investigators. According to reports from the Arkansas State Medical examiner, the child had died prior to the fire, and the cause of death was due to a condition resulting from illicit drug ingestion. Additional reports from the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory indicated that evidence of the presence of accelerants was discovered in the room where the child's body was recovered.
Events
| Birth | 18 Nov 1975 | ||||
| Death | 16 Jan 2026 |  |  | ||
| Alt name | Danny Joe FURR |
Families
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Father | Daniel Joe "Danny" FURR (1951 - 1986) |
| Mother | Jo Ann CRONE (1955 - 2004) |
| Sibling | Living |
Notes
Death
It is with the heaviest of hearts, we announce the passing of our "DJ". Danny Joe Furr Jr., went peacefully in his sleep, to meet his loved ones gone before him on Friday, January 16th. There to meet him with arms wide open was our mom, JoAnn Crone Hurlburt, our father Danny Joe Furr Sr., our grandparents: Maternal - Claudia and Ruth Crone. Paternal - Fred and Verdell Furr. Uncles: Larry, Tony, and Buster Crone. Aunts: Ruthie Cole and Joyce Williams, and sadly several other loved ones. Here left to grieve the loss of our DJ, is his Sis, Bunny and Rick Padgett of Danville, his brother Bruce Burchard of New Blaine; his three sons whom are spread out across the states being great men, Paul, Zackary, and Cameron Furr, two aunts, Nancy Willcutt (Lynn) of Ola and Janet Haney of Danville, one uncle, William Crone (Evelyn) of Ola, along with many cousins and a niece. Danny lived a life full of adventure. While like most of us, we were a little rambunctious in our earlier years, but he soon took a hold of his life and got back on track. He spoke often of all his memories driving back roads with his friends, fishing with all our family growing up, and laughing so hard until we cried. He would make mom laugh so hard she snorted, which in return made us laugh even more. If there's one thing Danny could do, he knew how to make you laugh. He always had a great sense of humor and loved with all his heart. He spoke not too long ago when he still lived in Greenwood about how he wanted to make a nurse's day better at the retirement home. He could tell she was sad, so he took every bit of his money and bought her some flowers and a little token of appreciation, just to try and make her smile. It made him feel good to make someone's day. That's how Danny was. He wanted people to be happy and smile. While he didn't get to be around many people in the last few years, getting to be with his Sis made his day. And he loved his boys with all of his heart. Truly! "DJ, until we meet again. You are so heavily missed! My days won't be the same without our daily text. I love you SO much!" Love, your Sis A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by Cornwell Funeral Home, Danville and River Valley Cremations, Dardanelle.Endnotes
1. Cornwell Funeral Home, Dardanelle, Arkansas.