Fugitive’s Facebook challenge to police

A FUGITIVE struck a deal with police to turn himself in if a ‘wanted’ appeal reached 15,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook.

Jose Simms, 29, who has seven outstanding arrest warrants, contacted police with the offer on social media.

Lieutenant Brett Johnson of Torrington police in Connecticut, US, said he had agreed, but only after negotiating Simms down from 20,000 likes.

Simms said he wanted to give the police ‘a little incentive for all the hard work they put in to catch me’.

But critics called the agreement unethical. Maki Haberfield, of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said: ‘It turns this into a joke.’

The appeal passed 15,000 likes, but it was not known last night if Simms had kept his side of the bargain.