AURORA | An Aurora police officer has admitted to driving drunk with a gun in her personal vehicle while off-duty last June, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Aurora cop Annette Brook, 56, pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanor charges: DUI and “prohibited used of a weapon — drunk with a gun” on Jan. 9, according to the local DA’s office.
A Douglas County Court Judge sentenced Brook, a Parker resident, to 20 days of house arrest and 12 months of probation.
Colorado State Patrol deputies found Brook behind the wheel of a 2017 Jeep Cherokee that had crashed into a concrete highway barrier near the intersection of C-470 and Lucent Boulevard in unincorporated Douglas County on June 17, 2019.
Brook initially told first responders she had fallen asleep at the wheel, but blood tests revealed her blood-alcohol content was 0.227.
State patrollers later found a loaded handgun in a bag in Brook’s Jeep.
“Nobody is above the law in our community,” District Attorney George Brauchler said in a statement. “Police, plumber, principal, or otherwise are equally protected and accountable under our laws. When a well-investigated DUI case is brought to us, we will pursue it without regard to title, occupation, station, or demographic. DUI is dangerous, illegal and wrong every single time.”
Brook is currently on “restricted duty,” meaning she is currently barred from “taking sworn action” or wearing a police uniform, according to Officer Matt Longshore, spokesman for the Aurora Police Department.
Brook, a 27-year veteran of the department, is currently assigned to an investigations team.
Interim police Chief Vanessa Wilson has initiated an internal investigation into the incident, Longshore said.
The incident marks the second instance of an Aurora police officer found drunk in a vehicle in 2019. First responders found then-police Agent Nathan Meier drunk in a police cruiser near Buckley Air Force Base on March 29, according to internal police documents.
Meier was never charged with DUI and has remained on the force, prompting blowback from attorneys and community members.
Last month, Brauchler announced his office is examining how Aurora police handled the situation involving Meier, and Aurora City Manager Jim Twombly tabbed a former federal prosecutor to independently inspect the case.