Claremont man receives deferred sentence after pleading to criminal contempt

Ryan Spencer, The Keene Sentinel, N.H.
·2 min read

Nov. 17—A Claremont man has pleaded guilty to criminal contempt, a misdemeanor charge that arose during a case in which he faced felony charges alleging he shot a woman in the leg with a crossbow pellet last year in Keene.

Those felony charges have since been dismissed, but Cheshire County Superior Court Judge Jacki Smith in September sentenced David Brooks, 30, on the criminal contempt charge to 180 days in jail. Smith deferred that sentence for 90 days on the condition he maintain good behavior, get a mental health evaluation and complete any recommended treatment, according to court documents.

On Nov. 7, Smith re-deferred Brooks' sentence for another 90 days to allow him time to complete the recommended treatment, court documents state. This means the sentence could still be imposed if the conditions are not met within the time period.

The criminal contempt charge Brooks pleaded to alleged he violated conditions of his release on bail when he did not complete a mental health evaluation as the court had instructed late last year.

Brooks had also faced several felony charges, including simple assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threatening with a deadly weapon and two counts of reckless conduct. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss those charges in exchange for his guilty plea to the misdemeanor criminal contempt charge, according to court documents. The dismissal of the simple assault and criminal threatening charges are contingent on Brooks completing the terms of his deferred sentence, documents state.

The incident that resulted in the felony charges allegedly happened last November in a Keene home, according to court documents. Brooks has denied firing a crossbow but said such weapons were at that home, court document state.

A public defender representing Brooks did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.

Ryan Spencer can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1412, or rspencer@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @rspencerKS