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By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Published Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 | 9:59 a.m.
Updated Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 | 12:30 p.m.
Booking photo of Assemblyman Steven Brooks of North Las Vegas.
Assembly leaders tried to offer troubled Assemblyman Steven Brooks a quiet way out of Carson City.
But if there’s anything Brooks has demonstrated since his arrest last month on charges he threatened Assembly Speaker-elect Marilyn Kirkpatrick, it hasn’t been his ability to be quiet.
So, Assembly leaders say they will convene a special committee to determine whether Brooks, D-North Las Vegas, is fit to serve in the Legislature. And they have promised to explore not just the behavior that resulted in his arrest on Jan. 19 , but other previously undisclosed complaints about his conduct in the weeks and months prior.
It’s a tacit ultimatum to Brooks: Take a break from Carson City or we’ll publicly display even more of your dirty laundry.
“We’ve always been concerned about Mr. Brooks’ welfare,” Assembly Majority Leader William Horne, D-Las Vegas, said. “We asked him to take a leave of absence, to get well and then come back. We were rebuffed.”
Brooks was released earlier this week from a hospital where he underwent a psychiatric evaluation after being detained a second time by police during a disturbance at his grandmother’s house that involved a sword.
Sources say he plans to attend the opening ceremonies of the Nevada Legislature on Monday.
And in a brief phone call with The Associated Press, Brooks declared himself “lucid” and ready to serve. Brooks spoke non-stop for about three minutes when reached Friday by telephone. Then he hung up.
Las Vegas journalist Jon Ralston reported Brooks has requested 20 seats for guests who plan to accompany him. Lawmakers usually have two or three family members with them on the floor during the ceremony.
Horne said security measures are in place and officials have no plans to prevent Brooks from taking his seat on the floor Monday — as of Friday morning.
“As of today, he is Assemblyman Steven Brooks from Assembly District 17. We’ll take any appropriate measures if we deem he is not safe or anything like that, but as of now, he’s the assemblyman,” Horne said.
Even so, lawmakers will begin a course of action next week that could result in Brooks’ ouster — something the Legislature has never done before.
A select committee will be appointed to begin hearings into whether “he is fit to perform his duties and whether he presents a danger to the people in the building,” Horne said.
Horne plans to chair that committee, raising some questions about the ability of the committee to be impartial following the tumultuous period after Brooks’ arrest.
In the days after Brooks was found with a gun and ammunition in his vehicle in Las Vegas, Horne was escorted by an armed police officer in Carson City.
Horne also wore a handgun to a committee hearing the day Brooks arrived at the Legislature — Brooks was covering his face with a hoodie and carrying a cane — to make living arrangements for the session.
But Horne said the fact that he and other lawmakers took safety precautions following the arrest “doesn’t mean we have any ill-will for Mr. Brooks.”
Horne said he is still crafting the criteria by which the committee will determine whether Brooks is fit to serve. He said the committee won’t be passing judgment on Brooks’ mental health or the crime he is accused of committing.
The Nevada Attorney General will be deciding whether to file formal charges.
“We will make sure it is open and transparent, that he has due process, he’s able to come and speak on his own behalf,” Horne said. “I don’t want people to think this is some type of criminal tribunal...We want him to get his health in order.
“But I think there are issues that have arisen when this all came to light of other conduct and behavior that Mr. Brooks may or may not have done in the past few months.”
The committee will convene next week but, Horne said, it may not conclude its work right away. The committee, which will include both Democrats and Republicans, will forward a recommendation to the full Assembly to decide whether to seat Brooks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Glad this man is not in my area.
Good luck to all that elected him.
Nice. Let another nut case out. I wouldn't be surprised if this loon shoots up his work place.
I agree with Juice! Plus, when I first read the headline I laughed, but, then I realized it can describe every lawmaker in DC and probably Reno or virtually an other state capital!
Only a Democrat can get away with this type of behavior. He needs mental health help. A republican would be burned at the stake.
This guy needs to resign and get help.....I would not be surprised if he has a worse episode....
This sounds like bipolar disorder. That particular mental illness is often over-diagnosed, but his actions fit those of someone in the midst of a manic episode.
This isn't a partisan issue, Chuck333. Let's not turn everything into politics. The man is clearly mentally ill and I'm glad his colleagues and family sought help before something really bad happened.
First of all, thanks to the author for not trying to bury his political affiliation.
As to Mr Brooks, do we really have to wait and see when he'll kill multiple people?
Lucid and ready to serve. Sounds just like the rest of em.
It's not a political issue - it's a health and safety issue. He's more sane than Sharon Angle even with all his obvious problems.
"This isn't a partisan issue, Chuck333. Let's not turn everything into politics."
As I said he has a mental problem and if he were a Republican he'd be burned at the stake.
Hey Next read texenv's post. Don't give me the partisan crap Dems "ALWAYS" point to the politics. He only gets the pass so to speak because he's a Dem. You know it and everyone else does too. I'm not shy about pointing it out. I think you call what Dems do hypocritical.
Is Brooks the best North Las Vegas has to offer?? I hope that in the next election they do a better job, there must be thousands of better citizens in North Las Vegas than Brooks.
Who voted for this guy?
He sounds deranged.
If you say so, Chuck. I personally wouldn't have cared if he had an (R)in front of his name. This man appears to be losing his mind and his issues have been splashed all over the press. I don't think that's "getting a pass."
I'm glad someone stepped in before he hurt someone, because I think that it is very clear that it was headed in that direction.
Of course, your opinion is as valid as mine, thus my user name.
I think he should stay and serve. He's certainly a strong voice for not wasting more money on K-12 while ESSENTIAL government services are ignored. Time to cut employee compensation across the board by at least 10% and fund prisons and dormitory housing for the indigent trying to reclaim a life style.
Hard to believe they have to figure out if he's "fit to serve" after he pulled a SWORD on someone at his Grandma's house. Can you say DISQUALIFIED, DA DA DAAA!