Man charged with threatening to kill cop to remain behind bars

A circuit court judge denied bond Wednesday for a Dothan man charged with making a “very credible threat against” the life of a Dothan police officer.

Judge Butch Binford denied bond for Anthony Terrell Brooks, 27, of South Lena Street, who has been charged with felony making terrorist threats. Brooks was arrested on Dec. 13, 2007, after the alleged threat happened on Nov. 7, 2007.

District Attorney Doug Valeska told the court Brooks threatened to kill Dothan Police Investigator Sgt. Frank Meredith.
Meredith, who testified during the bond hearing, said the threat to take his life happened during one of three separate phone calls he received from a cell phone that belonged to Brooks. Meredith said he recognized Brooks’ voice on the phone.

Meredith said he’d be concerned for his safety if the court granted Brooks a bond.

Brooks repeatedly failed to follow through on promises to turn himself in to authorities on the charges. U.S. Marshals eventually arrested him in New York City.
“They found him hiding in an apartment in the Bronx,” Meredith said.

The charge is a class C felony, but if convicted Brooks faces 10 years to life in prison if convicted because he has two previous felony convictions, Valeska said.

“He’s threatened to kill one of our police officers, and he also talks about threatening to kill another person in a letter,” Valeska said. “We had to go to New York to get him, and extradite him.”

Shaun McGhee, Brooks’ defense lawyer, said someone was using his client’s cell phone when the threatening call was made to the officer.
“It is a non-capital offense, and he is entitled to a reasonable bond,” McGhee said. “He has been incarcerated for going on seven months.”

Meredith said Brooks fled the state during his wife’s attempted murder trial in November 2007. Brooks’ wife, Takeba Brooks, 28, was found not guilty. A jury found Anthony Brooks not guilty of the same charge last month.

The couple’s charges stemmed from an incident in the 600 block of Alabama Avenue near Johnson Homes on Sept. 24, 2006.

Dianne Brooks, Anthony Brooks’ mother, testified at the hearing that relatives have a construction or lawn care job lined up for him if he were to post a bond.
“How could they charge him with something if somebody else was using his phone?” Dianne Brooks said. “Somebody he thought was his friend was using his phone.”

Binford said he’d consider another bond request if filed by the defense, but it likely wouldn’t be set any lower than $500,000.

“I believe there is a credible threat made as to this officer’s safety, also the alleged victim in a recent trial in which he was acquitted,” Binford said.