By David K. Li, Tom Winter and Michael Kosnar -
NBC News
Milwaukee prosecutors admitted Monday that they had requested bail "inappropriately" for Darrell Edward Brooks, 39, charged with the murder of five people and injuring more than 40 after hitting a jeep in a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Brooks has a decades-long criminal history that includes arrests for sexual abuse, drugs, assault and sexist violence, according to records.
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In Milwaukee he has two active cases.
In one of them, Brooks was charged in July 2020 with two counts of reckless recklessness and possession of a dangerous weapon as a convicted felon.
In February, he posted a $ 500 bond.
In the other matter, he was charged on Nov. 5 with resisting or obstructing an officer, skipping bail, recklessly endangering safety, disorderly conduct and assault, according to court records.
The last three charges were related to sexist violence, according to allegations in court records.
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The woman who was allegedly the victim in that incident was the mother of Brooks's son.
Court records allege that Brooks punched her and subsequently ran her over with his car in a gas station parking lot.
Documents say police noticed dried blood on his face, a swollen lip and tire tracks on the left leg of his pants.
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Brooks posted a $ 1,000 cash bond to be released on Nov. 11, according to court records.
The prosecutor in the two cases could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.
Brooks' last attorney declined to discuss the charges.
"The State's bail recommendation in this case was inappropriately low in light of the nature of the recent charges and pending charges against Brooks," Milwaukee County Attorney John Chisholm alleged in a statement on the charges this month.
"The bail recommendation in this case is not consistent with the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office's approach to matters involving violent crimes, nor was it consistent with the defendant's risk assessment prior to setting bail," added.
Chisholm added, "This office is conducting an internal review of the decision to make the recent bail recommendation in this matter in order to determine the appropriate next steps."
Darrell Brooks Jr. Brooks, the driver of the SUV that crashed into a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee, in a Nov. 16, 2021 photo. Waukesha County Sheriff's Office via AP
There is also an arrest warrant for Brooks in Nevada, where he is charged with failing to appear for a court hearing in 2016. He was scheduled to respond to an accusation of failing to notify authorities of a move, as required of him because he was in the state sex offender registry, Sparks city police said.
Brooks was convicted in 2006 of a statutory sexual seduction offense for getting a 15-year-old girl pregnant, according to authorities.
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Brooks' criminal record in Wisconsin dates back to 1999 with an assault arrest, in which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months behind bars and three years of probation.
In 2002, he was sentenced to 50 days in prison for possession of THC, the main compound in cannabis.
Brooks received a 20-day sentence for an arrest in 2003 for a misdemeanor of resisting or obstructing an officer.
An arrest in 2005 for a misdemeanor obstruction of an officer earned him a two-day sentence.
After Brooks pleaded not guilty to a strangulation and suffocation offense in 2010 and violated his probation, he was sentenced to 11 months behind bars and three years of probation.
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In 2011, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense of resisting or obstructing an officer, which earned him a 37-day jail sentence.
In 2011, a second THC possession incident earned him a 180-day jail sentence.
A misdemeanor bond evasion and THC possession in late 2011 earned him another 180-day jail sentence.