Felony Drug Suspect Goes Free After Darren Wilson Skips Court Date

A judge dropped felony drug charges against Christopher A. Brooks on Monday after Brooks' arresting officer—Darren Wilson, who hasn't been seen in public since shooting Michael Brown to death on August 9—failed to show up in court.

St. Louis County Associate Circuit Judge Mary Bruntrager Schroder first put the case on hold after Wilson was a no-show during a preliminary hearing last month.

Brooks, who Wilson received a commendation for arresting, has claimed that he was "manhandled" during the arrest, writing in a now-deleted Facebook post that officers, presumably including Wilson, "beat my ass in my front yard while I was handcuffed then gave me 6 felonies."

From the St. Louis Dispatch's account of the arrest:

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.

SOURCE: GAWKER