Armed Nevada Assemblyman Arrested for Threatening to Shoot Assembly Speaker
An assemblyman representing Nevada Assembly District 17 was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly made threats of violence against the Assembly's newly elected speaker, Marilyn Kirkpatrick.
Steven Brooks of North Las Vegas was heard telling other Assembly members that Kirkpatrick's "first day as speaker would be her last," according to State Sen. Kelvin Atkinson.
Both Brooks and Kirkpatrick are Democrats.
Local Democratic party sources told the Las Vegas Sun Brooks was unhappy with Kirkpatrick for not appointing him to chair of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, and had become increasingly "erratic" over the course of the last few weeks, even launching a failed attempt to oust the Speaker-Elect.
Responding to the threats, North Las Vegas police arrested Brooks without incident Saturday afternoon during a traffic stop.
In his car, officers found a loaded gun.
A management analyst by trade, Brooks was elected in 2010 and had previously served as a member of the Transportation, Judiciary and Health and Human Services committees. He was recently assigned by Kirkpatrick to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee — a committee of which she is also a member.
The Legislature kicks off its 77th session on February 4th, but a pre-session meeting of the Ways and Means Committee is scheduled for 8:30 AM on Wednesday.
It is unclear if Brooks will be allowed to attend.