Sprint no help in locating employee wanted in killing

Keith Paul

Monday, July 10, 2000 | 11:03 a.m.

Metro Police went to Sprint last week looking for a telephone company employee wanted on a murder charge, but the company refused to say where he was assigned.

On Friday, a day later, the Criminal Apprehension Team was able to locate Charles R. Simon on its own and arrested him on the warrant.

Simon was held without bail this morning in the Clark County Detention Center, charged with murder in connection with the June 10 shooting death of his 33-year-old brother, Gregory Lee Simon.

Sprint officials' decision not to tell police where Simon was Thursday afternoon frustrated detectives trying to locate him.

"I find it incredible that (Sprint officials) would not give us information to locate a wanted murder suspect," Lt. Wayne Petersen of Metro's homicide unit said. "We had a warrant. I would think that it's a public safety issue."

Sprint officials said when contacted by Metro, they verified Simon worked for Sprint, but would not release where he was that day.

"Our internal procedures have always dictated we verify employment but do not give out location," Sprint spokesman Rob McCoy said. "We have a very good relationship with the police, and we will always cooperate in any way we can."

McCoy said company officials will review what occurred to determine if the company's policy needs to be changed.

"We have to be careful in situations like this. We have to balance the interests of 1,900 employees," McCoy said. "We'll take a full review of our internal procedures and see if there is something we need to do better."

Gregory Simon was found shot to death about noon June 10 in the back yard of a home in the 1200 block of Hassell Avenue, near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Washington Avenue. Simon lived next door to the home where he was found slain.

Residents reported hearing gunshots the night before Simon was found dead, police said. There were reports that Simon had a dispute with another man that night, police said.

Lt. Jim Moses, Metro's commander of the multi-agency Criminal Apprehension Team, said Sprint in the past has been cooperative with law enforcement. But on Friday detectives had to track Charles Simon down on their own.

Detectives found an address for Charles Simon through a previous domestic violence arrest.