Photo: St. Louis County P)rosecutor's Office
A former officer with the North County Police Cooperative in Missouri is facing multiple charges for letting his brother assault a man who was handcuffed.
The St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office said that James Sims is facing charges of first-degree kidnapping, felony third-degree assault, and misdemeanor assault.
Prosecutors said that Sims received a call from his brother, Robert, last November for help because he was involved in a fight. However, Sims did not notify dispatchers when he arrived at the residence, which was outside of his patrol zone, and did not activate his body camera. Once inside, Sims handcuffed a man and allowed his brother to attack him, leaving the man with facial injuries.
Then, in April, Sims confronted the same man while he was on duty, slamming him onto the hood of a car. He was charged with fourth-degree assault over that incident.
"The North County Police Cooperative is dedicated to providing professional, transparent, and ethically sound police services to eight municipalities in North St. Louis County," Maj. Ron Martin with the NCPC told KMOV in an email. "We strive to hold all of our police officers and employees accountable for their actions. It saddens us as an organization to make this announcement but can reassure the public we will continue to be steadfast with our CALEA-accredited police services and will continue to expect the members of this law enforcement agency will conduct their duties with diligence, transparency, professionalism, and within the law."
As of Monday night, Sims was not in custody.