Etowah County CEO arrested on Sex abuse charges

Patrick Simms

Etowah County Commission Chief Administrative Officer Patrick Simms surrendered to Chambers County investigators Thursday on a warrant charging him with sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old.  According to a news release from the Chambers County Sheriff's Office, that office on or about Feb. 8 received a report of possible child sexual abuse that occurred in the county. In that report, James Patrick Simms was named as a suspect.  Over the following weeks, the initial allegations were investigated by members of the Chambers County Criminal Investigations Division. As a result, a warrant for Simms' arrest was obtained by investigators.  Simms surrendered to investigators at the Chambers County Detention Facility. He was arrested, booked, posted bond and was released from jail on the same day.  The release asked anyone with further information regarding the case or similar information to contact the Chambers County Sheriff's Office, 334-864-4333, or the agency's CrimeStoppers hotline, 800-756-8282.  Chambers County Investigator Shannon Rollins said authorities will continue to ask questions and look into Simms' past and past relationships to determine if there were any other incidents.  Simms was placed on an indefinite administrative leave without an explanation Feb. 13 during a called meeting of the commission. The commission called for an executive session to discuss the security of the courthouse and the security of the county's technology and computer systems. After the commission convened from executive session, the members voted to place Simms on leave. They did not comment about the reason for the action. The leave is active until further action by the commission.