- A man considered a fugitive in Connecticut says that he will turn himself in if his wanted poster gets 15,000 likes, a lieutenant for the Torrington Police Department said.
- Lt. Brett Johnson wrote on Facebook that he had been negotiating the terms of this agreement with Jose Simms over social media.
- Johnson encouraged readers to share the post — or any information about Simms' whereabouts.
- Simms is believed to be somewhere in New York. According to News 12 Connecticut, he was supposed to appear in connection to motor vehicle, breach of peace, possession of marijuana, and violation of protective orders charges.
- As of Wednesday afternoon, the post had just under 4,000 likes on Facebook.
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A man considered a fugitive in Connecticut says that he will turn himself in if his wanted poster gets 15,000 likes, a lieutenant for the Torrington Police Department said.
On Wednesday, Lt. Brett Johnson shared a wanted poster for Jose Simms, who is considered a fugitive, on Facebook, alongside what he called an "interesting" message.
In the post, he explained that he had been contacted by Simms via Facebook Messenger earlier this week with a proposition: Simms offered to turn himself into the Torrington police if a picture of his wanted poster got 20,000 likes on Facebook. Johnson countered the offer with 10,000 likes. They settled on 15,000.
"It will be difficult but is doable," Johnson wrote.
Speaking to INSIDER, Lt. Bart Barown said Simms got the idea to reach out to the police department after seeing activity on the Torrington Police Department's Facebook page. While Johnson was working the overnight shift, he got a Facebook message from Simms that said "Why don't you post my picture? I'm wanted," Barown said.
The two "went back and forth" with negotiations before settling on the terms shared on Facebook, Barown said.
In the post, Barown encouraged anyone and everyone to promote the picture in any way they could.
"Please, 'like' this post, and while you're at it share it, tweet it, Instagram it, Snapchat it ... or use whatever other platforms are out there that I don't know about," he wrote.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the post had just under 4,000 likes on Facebook. When asked if he thought it would cross the 15,000 threshold, Barown said: "We'll see what happens."
Simms is considered a fugitive wanted on multiple failure to appear warrants in the first and second degree, according to his wanted poster. According to News 12 Connecticut, he was supposed to appear in court in connection to motor vehicle, breach of peace, possession of marijuana, and violation of protective orders charges.
Simms is believed to be somewhere in New York, according to News 12.
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