Attempted murder charge in shootings

Charges could draw sentence of up to 120 years

BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer

RED BANK – The 19-year-old male arrested for allegedly shooting two men in the borough has been charged with attempted murder, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

Anthony J. Sims, of Eatontown, was apprehended by Highlands police Feb. 2. He had been evading capture since the Nov. 26 shooting that took place at Montgomery Terrace, a Tilton Avenue housing complex in Red Bank.

A Monmouth County grand jury returned an indictment March 12 charging Sims with three counts of first-degree attempted murder and three counts of second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to a press release from the Prosecutor’s Office.

“Sims’ prosecution is a perfect example of how citizen cooperation coupled with exemplary police work makes our communities safer. Success in this case is directly attributable to the fine work of law enforcement personnel from the Red Bank Police Department, the Highlands Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, working in conjunction with the Red Bank community,” said Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin in a press release.

The indictment stems from a shooting incident in Red Bank that left two brothers with life-threatening injuries.

A joint investigation conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Red Bank Police Department revealed the existence of an uninjured third victim who was shot at but not struck, according to the release.

The investigation also revealed Sims to be the alleged shooter, after he had an altercation with the young men and fled the scene with the handgun before police arrived, according to the release.

As a result of the investigation, arrest warrants for Sims were issued Nov. 27, according to the release.

Sims was eventually located after more than two months on the lam and placed under arrest by officers from the Highlands Police Department as a result of an unrelated investigation, according to the release.

During the investigation at a residence in Highlands, one of the Highlands officers on the scene recognized Sims from a wanted poster that had been distributed to police departments in the area.

Highlands police also arrested two other adults, one male and one female, on numerous charges, including harboring a fugitive and possession of a controlled dangerous substance, according to Highlands Police Chief Joseph Blewett.

Superior Court Judge Jamie S. Perri set Sims’ total bail at $3 million, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Acondition of Sims’ bail is that he have no contact with any of the three victims, according to the release.

Sims has been lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, in lieu of bail since his arrest, according to the release.

If convicted of the attempted murder counts, Sims faces a maximum potential custodial sentence of up to 20 years on each count.

That sentence would be subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act, which means that if convicted, Sims would have to serve 85 percent of any sentence imposed before he could be released on parole, according to the release.

If convicted of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Sims faces a maximum potential custodial sentence of up to 10 years on each count with a mandatory three-year period of parole ineligibility.

Sims will be arraigned on the indictment before Superior Court Judge Francis P. DeStefano within the next several weeks, according to the release.

In response to the shootings, community members came together in a show of solidarity and held a candlelight vigil on Dec. 7, 2007, at the west side apartment complex.

As a follow-up to the vigil, the Rev. Randy McNeill, of Mount Zion House of Prayer on Catherine Street, and the Rev. Terrence K. Porter, of Pilgrim Baptist Church on ShrewsburyAvenue, led a public forum on Jan. 19 to discuss issues of concern in the community and possible solutions to conditions that gave rise to the shootings.

Several weeks after the vigil, the Red Bank Men’s Club, together with a private donor, offered a $1,000 reward for information about Sims’ whereabouts in an effort to help stem violence in the borough, especially on the west side.