Charges dropped on Chelsea gunman

At a July 7 hearing, Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Dan Reeves dismissed the charges against Ryan Sims, the man accused of holding five girls at gunpoint at Chelsea Middle School in February 2013. Sims was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

The Chilton-Shelby Mental Health Center diagnosed Sims as a paranoid schizophrenic, backing up his attorneys’ claim that the 22-year-old was unable to discern right from wrong at the time of the incident. Sims had faced five counts of kidnapping and one count of making terroristic threats, but he will now be transferred to a mental health facility.

The court has not yet set a date for Sims’ transfer. Captain Ken Burchfield of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said the date will not be announced until a few hours before Sims is moved. At this time, he remains in the Shelby County Jail.