on sale now at amazon

on sale now at amazon
paperback or ebook

Pleasant Hill officer charged with public consumption


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.