Police Officer Charles Simms, Jr.

Charles Simms, Jr.

Officer Charles Simms was shot and killed by a man he was attempting to serve a warrant on for vandalism on Church Street in Xenia.

On Friday, July 10, 1925, Officer Simms went to a residence to arrest a suspect on a warrant for failing to pay a board bill. The man resisted arrest and ran from the house, turning and firing on the officer. All four rounds fired struck Officer Simms, with one round piercing his heart. The suspect escaped from the scene but was found at approximately 3:15 a.m. the next morning, hiding in the water of the Little Miami River. Members of the Ohio National Guard fired 40-50 rounds into the water from two machine guns that they carried with them, but the suspect still remained hidden in the water. Several hours later, the suspect came up in front of two members of the search team and was taken into custody.

The 42-year-old suspect was charged and convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. He died in prison on September 15, 1925, from acute cardiac dilation.

Officer Simms had served with the Xenia Police Department for 15 years. He was survived by his wife.

He is buried in the Cherry Grove Cemetery, Green County, Ohio.