Nevada Democrat accused of threatening fellow lawmaker

A Democratic Nevada lawmaker has been arrested on suspicion of threatening to hurt another state representative, North Las Vegas police said.

Steven Brooks, 40, who represents the northern edge of Las Vegas in the state Legislature, was charged with intimidating a public officer with physical force. According to the city jail’s website, Brooks was charged with a state statute that indicates the threat was “immediate,” making the charge a felony.

Bail was set at $100,000. Police would not say whether Brooks had a weapon with him.

Democratic sources told the Las Vegas Sun that he had threatened the state Legislature’s Democratic speaker-elect, Marilyn Kirkpatrick.

North Las Vegas police started searching for Brooks on Saturday afternoon after receiving a report of the threat from a home in northwest Las Vegas that was corroborated by other witnesses, police said in a statement.

Police found Brooks driving less than two hours later and arrested him “without incident” during a traffic stop.

Democratic sources told the Sun that Brooks had been upset about Legislature committee assignments and that party leadership had begun to watch his behavior.

Brooks was first elected in 2010. According to a campaign website post from February 2012, he is married with four children and spent nine years teaching math and science and coaching football.

A Democratic caucus website said he is a management analyst for the city of Las Vegas.

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