Damorieon Simms is heading to state prison after admitting to a violent attack inside St. Louis' downtown jail and clearing a long list of other cases in the process.
Simms pleaded guilty Wednesday under a deal that wraps up a series of criminal cases tied to incidents at the St. Louis City Justice Center. The agreement resolves multiple felony and misdemeanor charges connected to a November 2025 assault that left a corrections officer unconscious and sends Simms toward a decade behind bars.
Court records show Simms was 23 at the time of the November attack. He entered guilty pleas to robbery and kidnapping in the beating of corrections officer Jerome Dunning, and his lawyers agreed to resolve nine additional cases at the same time. In all, the deal covers 13 felony counts and six misdemeanors, with prosecutors dropping three other charges as part of the bargain. Under the terms, Simms will serve a total of 10 years in prison, according to St. Louis Public Radio.
Inside the November Attack
Prosecutors say the assault unfolded during an evening meal round inside the jail. A door to Simms' cell "inadvertently opened," giving him the chance to step out and rush Dunning, who was working the unit.
Surveillance video captured what happened next. The attack left Dunning unconscious, according to police. Simms is accused of taking the officer's radio and blocking his exit, trapping him inside the area. Those details surfaced when charges were first filed last fall, as reported by Corrections1.
City Jail in Focus
The incident took place inside the St. Louis City Justice Center, the downtown jail the city lists at 200 South Tucker Boulevard. The facility houses hundreds of detainees and sits at the center of ongoing public debates about safety, staffing and conditions.
The Division of Corrections posts public information about the Justice Center, including an inmate locator, mailing and visitation rules, and contact details for families and attorneys. Those facility details are outlined on the city's corrections page, according to the City of St. Louis.
Legal and Safety Implications
Simms has been held in custody since 2024, and his conduct behind bars had already put him on the radar of jail leadership. In a letter to the court, then-Commissioner Doug Burris described Simms as "one of our largest problems at the jail" and warned that he was "making the jail unsafe and destroying staff morale."
Even with the new plea deal, Simms' legal troubles are not over. The agreement does not resolve an 11th case accusing him of inappropriately touching a woman outside a North St. Louis hotel. He also still faces other pending matters in St. Louis and St. Charles counties, according to St. Louis Public Radio.
