Pleasant
Hill Police Officer Christopher Craig Brooks, 28, was charged with public
consumption on Saturday, according to Iowa court records.
Pleasant
Hill Police Chief Tim Sittig on Wednesday morning confirmed the weekend
incident involving Brooks, who has not worked any shifts for the Pleasant Hill
Police Department since receiving the $123 charge, Sittig said.
“He was
issued a citation and released for open consumption in Des Moines,” Sittig
said, adding that the department has not yet determined the consequences for
its officer. “We’re right in the middle of an internal (investigation), so we
don’t know which way we’re going to go.”
Sittig
said he learned of the incident Saturday night through his staff, which was
notified by Des Moines authorities. The chief said whether the individual was
the first person to notify the department of the offense can give some bearing
on the consequences, which are determined on a case-by-case basis.
Brooks,
28, of Altoona, has spent a little more than three years with the Pleasant Hill
Police Department, according to the city manager, and ran for Altoona City
Council in the fall. Council member Mike Harmeyer beat Brooks in a runoff
election in December.
More
recently, Brooks was involved in an internal investigation by the Pleasant Hill
Police Department prompted by complaints and allegations against the police
chief and the city of Pleasant Hill from Christopher’s parents and private
investigators, Craig and Debbie Brooks. The allegations — which were later
dismissed after an investigation — involved derogatory and slanderous comments
and tolerance of violence within the department.
City Manager Don Sandor
said he expects the department to make a decision about the consequences for
Brooks’ offense by the end of the week.