Courtesy St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
Former North County Police Cooperative officer James Sims.
A police officer in north county handcuffed a man and allowed his brother to beat him, according to charges filed yesterday by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
Corporal James Sims with the North County Police Cooperative was on duty in Dellwood on November 2 of last year when he received a call from his brother, Robert, who said he was in a fight in Pine Lawn and needed help.
Sims responded to the 6200 block of Dardanella, which was outside of the area where Sims was supposed to be patrolling. There, Sims allegedly handcuffed the man his brother had been fighting with, and then stood by as his brother beat him.
A probable cause statement says that Sims didn't activate his body cam nor notify dispatch upon his arrival at the scene.
However, after the beating had occurred, Sims did call for back up.
Officers arrived to find the victim handcuffed with "several cuts and lacerations on his face [having] obviously been beaten," according to the probable cause statement.
Sims subsequently allowed the victim to leave without collecting any information, saying that his brother didn't want to press charges.
Sims allegedly ran into the victim again last month at the Global Food Mart in Hillsdale. There, Sims slammed the victim on the hood of his car and force him to the ground.
This alleged assault occurred outside the jurisdiction of the North County Police Cooperative. The investigation into Sims was launched by the police cooperative that same month.
Sims, who was not in custody as of Monday evening, is facing two assault charges and one charge of kidnapping. His brother Robert was charged with one count of assault.
"While these charges are allegations, I commend the North County Police Cooperative for their diligent investigation into the alleged misdoings of one of their own officers," St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement. "We have to hold police officers accountable to the law they're sworn to uphold if we want the trust of the public we are all working to protect."
We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected]
or follow on Twitter at @RyanWKrull.
Subscribe to Riverfront Times newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
