Long Branch man indicted on attempted murder charge

A Monmouth County grand jury has indicted a Long Branch man on charges of attempted murder and weapons offenses.

The indictment of Anthony Sims Jr., 25, was made in connection with the April shooting of a Red Bank man, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.

The grand jury handed up the four-count indictment Aug. 4, charging Sims, formerly of Red Bank, with one count each of firstdegree attempted murder, first-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and second-degree certain persons not to possess weapons.

According to a press release from the prosecutor’s office, patrol units from the Red Bank Police Department responded to Willow Street on the report of gunshots fired around 6:51 p.m. April 9. Upon arrival, police located the 28-year-old victim in the area of 13 Willow St. with multiple gunshot wounds throughout his body, according to the prosecutor’s office. The victim was flown via medevac to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, where he received life-saving treatment.

A joint investigation by Red Bank police and detectives from the prosecutor’s office determined Sims was armed with a handgun when he approached the victim and allegedly fired numerous shots into the victim before fleeing the scene, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Sims was arrested April 14 and charged with attempted murder and related charges as a result of the investigation.

Sims is being held in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, on $1 million cash-only bail, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen.

Anyone with information concerning the incident is encouraged to call Detective Robert Campanella of the Red Bank Police Department at 732-530-2719 or Detective Brian Weisbrot of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443.

Those wishing to provide information may also call Monmouth County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-671-4400. Callers to Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and are eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of a suspect or fugitive.

If convicted of the first-degree crime of attempted murder, the maximum potential custodial sentence is a New Jersey state prison term of up to 20 years, subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act. The person must serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for release on parole.

There would also be parole supervision for five years following release from state prison.

If convicted of first-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, the maximum potential custodial sentence is a state prison term of up to 20 years.

If convicted of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose or second-degree certain persons not to possess weapons, the maximum potential custodial sentence is a state prison term of 10 years on each count. All three weapons charges are subject to the Graves Act and require a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of one-half of the custodial sentence imposed, or 42 months, whichever is greater.