Police apprehend fugitive in shootings
Arrests net suspect wanted in attack on three men
BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer

Anthony Sims

RED BANK - The 19-year-old male wanted in connection with the shootings of two men in the borough has been apprehended, according to the Red Bank Police Department.

Anthony J. Sims, Eatontown, had been on the lam since Nov. 26 after he allegedly shot two young men during a scuffle at Montgomery Terrace, a Tilton Avenue housing complex.

Highlands police officers arrested Sims Feb. 2 at 6:46 a.m. during the course of an unrelated investigation in Highlands, according to a Red Bank Police Department press release.

"We were conducting a separate investigation into a BarberieAvenue home," said Highlands Police Chief Joseph Blewett Monday, adding, "We can't say if it was a drug-related investigation or not."

One of the Highlands officers on the scene recognized Sims from a wanted poster that had been distributed to police departments in the area, according to the release.

Sims was wanted for three counts of first-degree attempted murder and three counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to police. The third count of each charge stems from the existence of an uninjured third victim who was shot at but not struck, according to theMonmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Highlands police also arrested Alice Jones, 37, and Fuller Fitzpatrick, 40, both of Highlands, at the scene, according to Blewett.

The pair were arrested on numerous charges, which include harboring a fugitive, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, and intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance within 500 feet of a park, according to Blewett.

"The Highlands Police Department did a fantastic job. The officer recognized him [Sims] from the wanted poster and we are very appreciative of the work they did," said Red Bank Police Capt. Stephen Mc- Carthy.

Blewett said eight individuals were found at the scene, including children and Sims' girlfriend.

Sims' arrest is the latest development in the wake of the shootings that left two brothers with life-threatening injuries.

One of the young men has not been able to walk since the incident, according to the Rev. Randy Mc- Neill of Mount Zion House of Prayer on Catherine Street.

McNeill and the Rev. Terrence K. Porter, of Pilgrim Baptist Church on ShrewsburyAvenue, led a public forum recently to discuss issues of concern in the community and

possible solutions to conditions that gave rise to the shootings.

The Jan. 19 community dialogue was a follow-up to a Dec. 7 candlelight vigil where about 200 community members gathered at Montgomery Terrace in a show of solidarity for those injured as well as for Sims.

A couple of weeks after the vigil, the Red BankMen's Club, together with a private donor, offered a $1,000 reward for information about Sims' whereabouts in an effort to stem violence in the borough, especially on the west side.

Bail has been set for Sims in the amount of $3 million, and he was transferred to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold Township, according to police.