Brooks charged with felonies after shooting incident
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A request for a bond reduction was denied for a Ronan man accused of firing a weapon at partygoers during an alleged underage drinking party.
Christopher Steven Brooks, 21, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson on Sept. 3 to two counts of assault with a weapon and one count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs – all felonies.
According to court records, in the early morning hours of Aug. 15, Lake County Sheriff’s Office detectives were dispatched to investigate a report of a shooting at an alleged underage drinking party in the St. Ignatius area.
Witnesses at the scene told responding officers that Brooks believed that someone at the gathering had taken his friend’s mobile phone. Brooks allegedly confronted and punched several people. Lake County Attorney Steve Eschenbacher said that after the punches failed to create results, Brooks retrieved a gun and began shooting. One vehicle was shot through the fender with the bullet lodging in the tire.
After the shooting, Brooks fled the scene in a car. He was apprehended by law enforcement a short time after the incident.
Eschenbacher objected to a reduction in bond and said: “We are lucky we are not dealing with a homicide.” District Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set the case for trial on Feb. 8 and maintained bail at $100,000