The Office of Statewide Prosecution, under Attorney General James Uthmeier, has secured the conviction of Armaund Sims, 44, of Fernandina Beach, on the charge of Trafficking in Cocaine.
The conviction, obtained in a retrial this October, means Sims now faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years when he is sentenced later this month. Sims has multiple prior felony drug convictions.
“This outcome speaks to the tireless work of our statewide prosecutors, who relentlessly pursued justice in this case,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “Thanks to Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Johnna Lessard and Chief Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Kelsey Bledsoe, this criminal will be held accountable for trafficking dangerous drugs into our communities.”
High-Speed Chase and Recovery
The case stems from an incident on October 11, 2023, when Sims fled a traffic stop initiated by Florida Highway Patrol officers. Sims led law enforcement on a reckless, high-speed chase that involved driving across a median before he ultimately crashed into another vehicle.
Following the crash, officers recovered two kilograms of cocaine from an area near the crash site.
Retrial Secures Trafficking Conviction
When the State first tried Sims in February 2025, a Duval County jury found him guilty of Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Law Enforcement Officer, and he received a five-year prison sentence. However, the jury at that time was unable to reach a verdict on the trafficking charge.
In October of this year, prosecutors from the Office of Statewide Prosecution, serving as cross-designated Assistant State Attorneys for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, retried the case. The second trial successfully secured the conviction for Trafficking in Cocaine.
The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Department of Homeland Security and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
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