Federal arrest warrant issued for former Heisman Trophy winner

Wednesday, March 21st 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Tulsa, Okla.-AP) -- Billy Sims, the 1978 Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma, failed to appear at a child-support hearing today in Tulsa and a federal magistrate says she plans to issue an arrest warrant, as soon as the U-S Attorney's Office provides proof that Sims was notified of the hearing.

Sims was ordered to pay 14-thousand 25 dollars related to a 1997 child-support conviction. He spent a month in jail over the matter.

Sims, who was to produce documents at the scheduled hearing, was last reported living in Coppell, Texas, a suburb northwest of Dallas.

Sims pleaded guilty to failing to pay 32-thousand 900 dollars in child support he owed in support of Shawnte Renee Sims.

In addition to jail time, a federal judge in January 1998 ordered Sims to make installment payments on the judgment. Sims had paid more than 18-thousand dollars of that amount by the time he was sentenced.

Two months ago, a motion filed by the U-S Attorney's Office indicated Sims had not paid any money since that time.

In December, a sports memorabilia company postponed a planned telephone auction of Sims' Heisman Trophy after learning of his overdue child-support payments.