Henry County Grand Jury Indicts Accused Sims Attacker

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maggie Kempken
Strategy and Marketing
404.909.7419
maggie@lexicalllc.com

Andrew Lee Fordham, Jr. to be Charged with Four Counts

ATLANTA (April 14, 2014) - The Atlanta-based non-profit The Christy Sims Foundation announced today that the Henry County grand jury has concluded its review of evidence and has made a decision to indict Andrew Lee Fordham, Jr. on four charges stemming from the April 28, 2013 incident in which Christy Tucker Sims was burned over 20% of her body with industrial grade sulfuric acid.

Mr. Fordham will be charged with two counts of aggravated battery, one count of aggravated assault and one count of burglary. He is accused of intentionally dousing Ms. Sims with a caustic drain cleaner over her head, face, chest and arms last April, after which she spent two months in a coma and nearly died. Ms. Sims, who was permanently disfigured as a result of the attack, has spent the last year cooperating with authorities and encouraging the Henry County police to collect evidence and pursue charges in the case.

“We are pleased to hear that Mr. Fordham will have to answer to the courts for his actions, and look forward to seeing him brought to justice to the fullest extent allowable by law,” said Odis Williams, the foundation’s attorney. “In the meantime, we have a lot of work to do as a foundation to continue to help Christy and her children rebuild their lives and move forward. We appreciate the community’s support of this vital mission, and are grateful for the continued attention focused on Christy and the work that she is doing on behalf of domestic violence survivors everywhere.”

The Christy Sims Foundation was founded in response to the incident mentioned above in order to raise funds to help Christy, who has been unable to work since the attack, pay for her surgeries and other living expenses for herself and her children. Ms. Sims is set to undergo her tenth surgery for facial reconstruction in the coming weeks, and faces more than $400,000 in medical bills over the next couple of years.

About The Christy Sims Foundation

The Christy Sims Foundation was founded in response to a tragic incident of domestic violence upon its founder, Christy Tucker Sims. On April 28, 2013, Christy was assaulted with industrial grade sulfuric acid, which burned her over 20% of her body and sent her into a coma for two months. Christy is now on a journey to rebuild her life and the lives of her two children. The mission of the foundation is to educate the community, increase awareness and raise funds to support victims of domestic violence and their children, providing resources to help them rebuild their lives, and support on their journeys to recovery. For more information, please visit www.christysims.org today.