By Robert Patrick
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
CLAYTON, Mo. — A St. Louis County judge on Monday dismissed a pending felony drug case after Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson failed to show up in court.
The 2013 marijuana possession case against Christopher A. Brooks, 28, had been on hold since early last month, when Wilson failed to appear for a preliminary hearing in the case, called for by Brooks lawyer Nick Zotos.
The case resulted in a commendation for Wilson in front of the City Council earlier this year.
St. Louis County Associate Circuit Judge Mary Bruntrager Schroder gave prosecutors until today to get Wilson to the grand jury — an alternate path to advance the case to trial.
The signed order says simply, “State not ready. Cause dismissed for failure to prosecute. State opposed.”
Wilson’s lawyers could not be immediately reached for comment.
Ed Magee, spokesman for St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch, said that five pending cases involving Wilson had been dropped. He declined to comment on the Brooks case.
Wilson has not been seen in public since the the death of Michael Brown, 18, on Aug. 9. He is on paid administrative leave.
Zotos declined comment on behalf of Brooks, who was present in the courtroom.
In August, Brooks predicted in a Facebook post, since deleted, that the charges would be dropped. He also said that Wilson “beat my ass in my front yard while I was handcuffed then gave me 6 felonies.”
Last month, Zotos said that Brooks was “manhandled.”
The Feb. 2, 2013 incident began when Wilson got a call about a suspicious vehicle that may have been involved in a drug transaction, the report says. When Wilson arrived, two men in a PT Cruiser got out, and Wilson said he smelled marijuana. He then talked to Brooks and Erik C. Johnson, 28, of unincorporated west St. Louis County, and handcuffed them. Trouble started when Wilson asked for Brooks’ keys so he could search the car. Brooks refused, Wilson tried to grab the keys, and Brooks slapped his hand away, the report says. Wilson eventually got the keys, and pushed or pulled Brooks to the ground when Brooks refused to get down. Wilson wrote that he later found bags of marijuana and a bag containing 10 pills. An addendum to the report says Brooks admitted selling marijuana to support his family, and planned to sell the pills.
Wilson requested seven charges, including three drug charges, as well as resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. Johnson has also been charged but has not yet been arrested.
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