Milwaukee prosecutors are carrying out an internal review into the decision by their own office to make an "inappropriately low" bail recommendation for Darrell Brooks Jr., the man suspected of driving his SUV into a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee and killing at least five people, Fox News reported on Monday.
Brooks had already been charged with several felonies in Milwaukee County last year, and several more this month, according to the district attorney, including counts of second-degree reckless endangerment, possession of a firearm by a felon, and violation of his bail terms, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Bail was originally set for last year's charges at $10,000 and then cut to $7,500, the district attorney’s office said. However, due to a court scheduling conflict that would have deprived Brooks of his right to a speedy trial, his bail was then reduced to only $500, which he posted in February, according to prosecutors, Fox News reported.
Exacerbating matters, Milwaukee authorities charged Brooks earlier this month with another reckless-endangerment count -- along with felony bail jumping, battery, obstruction of an officer and disorderly conduct -- after he allegedly ran a woman over with his vehicle.
Despite this he was released on only $1,000 cash bail just 10 days before he was accused of plowing through the parade, injuring dozens in addition to killing five.
Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm’s office said that "the State’s bail recommendation in this case was inappropriately low in light of the nature of the recent charges and the pending charges against Mr. Brooks. The bail recommendation in this case is not consistent with the approach of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office toward matters involving violent crime, nor was it consistent with the risk assessment of the defendant prior to setting of bail."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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