Man Who Ran Just Adds Charges on Top of Felony Warrant

A young Milwaukee man who led a Tosa police officer on a long and wearing nighttime footrace – and lost – because he didn't want to be arrested on a burglary warrant now faces additional charges on top of that.

Vincent Lee Sims, 23, was charged March 18 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with obstructing an officer and possession of marijuana. Both are misdemeanors, the obstruction charge carrying a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and the marijuana charge up to six months.

At 2:14 a.m. March 16, Sims was walking in the middle of North 60th Street, in the 2500 block, with a 19-year-old Wauwatosa woman. A Wauwatosa patrol officer stopped them for a field interrogation for safety reasons, and after identifying Sims learned that he was wanted for burglary.

When he pulled out his handcuffs and told Sims to put his hands behind his back, the 23-year-old took off running.

A 17-minute chase ensued, through back yards and over fences, through snowbanks and briar patches. The officer suffered a cut hand on a fence and scratches on his face from thorn bushes, but refused to give up.

Sims finally cleared one last fence and collapsed to the ground, too winded to get up.

Besides having a felony warrant on file, he had 11 grams of pot in his pocket, neatly wrapped in 13 individual small packets. Despite the appearance of a possible intent to sell, the overall weight did not warrant the more serious charge.