By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
A Baldwin County man with an Atmore address, already facing attempted murder charges in two different counties, has been charged by Mobile authorities with assaulting a hospital employee in that city.
According to Mobile County Sheriff’s Office reports, 26-year-old Colton Shane Sims of a Sims Road address in Atmore, was admitted to University Hospital on December 14 after he was wounded in a shotgun duel with his uncle in the Booneville community. University of South Alabama police said the hospital employee was assaulted that same day.
Sims was released from the hospital on December 26 and taken directly to Mobile County Metro Jail, where he was booked on the second-degree assault charge.
According to Alabama Criminal Code, one of the conditions that justifies a second-degree assault charge is “intent to cause physical injury to a health care worker, including a nurse, physician, technician, or any other person employed by or practicing at a hospital …during the course of or as a result of the performance of the duties of the health care worker or other person employed by or practicing at the hospital.”
Family feud
Sims was later transferred from the Mobile lockup to Baldwin County, where he is being held without bond on seven separate charges, including attempted murder, related to the Booneville shooting.
Reports show that Sims, whose residence is actually in the northern corner of Baldwin County, and his unidentified uncle were involved in a domestic dispute. Each shot at the other at least once using shotguns loaded with birdshot. Sims reportedly fired all the shells in his weapon and — after being hit with a load of the small pellets — reloaded his gun with buckshot, shot the uncle once, then forced his way into the man’s house shouting threats and attacked him with his hands.
Along with the attempted murder charge, which is a Class A felony, Sims is also charged with one count each of first-degree burglary (also a Class A felony), domestic violence-strangulation (a Class B felony) and third-degree domestic violence-harassment (a Class A misdemeanor). He is also charged with three counts of simple harassment, a Class C misdemeanor.
First attempt
Sims was scheduled to appear in Circuit Court of Monroe County on Monday, January 6. He has been free for the past two years on a $55,000 bond awaiting trial on an attempted murder charge in that county.
He reportedly tried to run over a Monroe County deputy with his car in October 2017 after a domestic dispute. He was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Criminal tendencies
Sims has an extensive criminal history, although he has served little or no time on most of the charges against him. Numerous criminal complaints have been lodged against him in several counties — including Monroe, Baldwin and Escambia — over the last four years.
Drug charges in Baldwin and Escambia counties were resolved without jail time when Sims agreed to participate in pre-trial diversion programs. He was also arrested in Monroe County for burglary, but that charge was later dropped at the request of prosecutors.
Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks said Sims has never been arrested here but has been involved in two automobile accidents and was the victim of an alleged carjacking that took place in November 2017 at a local car wash.