Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

Matthew Sims had a very important day in court recently. Sims, who is fighting felony domestic charges in a case against his former wife, had the opportunity to ask her questions concerning their relationship, which led to him having to appear in hearings numerous times. It has been three years since an incident involving Sims and his former wife that led to him being arrested on domestic charges. He has contested how Monroe Police handled the investigation. Sims, acting as his own counsel, has attacked the investigation from the start, questioning the various reports submitted by a police officer that he claimed were biased and discriminatory. He says that his life “has been dismantled” by the claims, which have yet to be proven. He says that, as of now, he is unemployed with the shadow of domestic abuse hanging over him and that getting a job has been very difficult. He has lost the jobs he once had, one of them working for the city of Monroe. The many hearings that Sims has had to endure have been time-consuming, as it seemed that the prosecution might have been playing a “waiting game” to see how long Sims could withstand the immense pressure that he has been under as he fights to regain his status and his freedom back in the community. He didn’t take a plea deal knowing how that would affect his life, but he knows that the truth is on his side, and he had an opportunity to get his former wife to testify under oath about their relationship before/after his arrest. At the last hearing, Sims was able to bring out things that would seem to cast doubt on the facts of his case. At several points, his former wife allegedly had outbursts where the judge admonished the prosecution “to control” the temperament of the witness. Sims believes he is making progress, taking advantage of the evidence gained through discovery that is being used against him. He has yet had an opportunity to question the arresting officer because, for reasons unknown, the officer allegedly has not been located. Another obstacle that Sims said that he faced when trying to get an attorney to represent him was that he was told that domestic abuse cases are difficult because they “are unwinnable”. Yet, Sims persists even though he says that “his confidence in the system” has been shaken by how Black people, particularly Black men are faced with having to defend themselves when the system looks to lock them up. Sims’ journey to freedom is not yet over because he has a November 10 hearing next. He said he had been advised that the hearing would be the last, and a trial would be held. Sims said that he has no problem going to trial. As far as those numerous hearings that he has had to endure, Sims said that is because “people in the system did not do their job and are now trying to cover it up”. Correction: In the previous article, this reporter stated that Sims had gone to trial 25 times. It should have been Sims attended 25 hearings over a three-year span. A trial is forthcoming. This reporter wants to apologize if I (inadvertently) misled any of The Monroe Dispatch readers.