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 confirmed Wednesday morning 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 the
department has not yet determined the consequences for their 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.
“Every situation is
different, so you have to take each situation on its own merits,” Sittig said.
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 Moulder and
Associates conducted an investigation – involved derogatory and slanderous
comments and tolerance of violence within the police 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. Sandor also said he believes this is the first
incident of a Pleasant Hill police officer being charged with public
consumption.