Posted on: Thursday, March 3, 2005

Judge's son gets jail, fine for attack

Advertiser Staff

The 26-year-old son of a former state judge was ordered to spend eight days in jail and pay $975 in fines and fees in connection with what police said was an unprovoked attack on a teenager last year.

Circuit Judge Michael Wilson also ordered Richard H. Simms, son of former Circuit Judge Sandra Simms, to perform 100 hours of community service.

Richard Simms, a Mililani resident, pleaded guilty earlier to charges that included misdemeanor terroristic threatening and assault, driving without a license, drunken driving and second-degree theft related to the attack on a 17-year-old outside a Mililani restaurant Feb. 2.

When a passer-by stopped to help, Richard Simms stole the passer-by's car and later crashed it, prosecutors said.

Richard Simms asked the judge to defer accepting the guilty pleas to give him a chance to have the charges dropped. City prosecutors opposed that request, and the judge denied it. "I think it's a fair sentence," city deputy prosecutor Chris Van Marter said.

Sandra Simms submitted a letter in support of her son. Her request for a second 10-year term on the bench was rejected by the state Judicial Selection Commission last year.