Hunter
01/31/23
An Iowa City man with a history of thefts was reportedly found with thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise at a storage unit.
27-year-old Jerome Brooks of the Quarters apartment complex on Highway 6 East was in possession of a storage unit at Black and Gold Storage on Waterfront Drive when police executed a search warrant on the morning of November 11th. Investigators reportedly located property tying Brooks to at least seven burglaries and thefts. The property, which was returned to their rightful owners, was valued at over $11,000. However, police say the property that wasn’t recovered ups the total substantially.
It was also learned during the investigation that Brooks was using the stolen property as currency in exchange for money, goods, and narcotics. When Brooks was searched pursuant to arrest, officers allegedly found nearly 7 grams of marijuana on his person.
Brooks was already wanted after a car burglary earlier in the month where he reportedly used a credit card in the vehicle at a laundromat to purchase tokens. He also allegedly asked another person to use the card to purchase items.
Brooks’ recent criminal history also includes allegations of stealing an e-bike at the end of July, using a stolen credit card from another car burglary in September, and breaking into a home and stealing a woman’s underwear out of a basement laundry basket.
A warrant was issued for Brooks’ arrest for possessing stolen property on January 24th; he was taken into custody on Sunday and faces charges of Ongoing Criminal Activity, 1st degree Theft, Marijuana possession, and Unauthorized use of a Credit Card. If convicted on those charges alone, Brooks faces a prison sentence of up to 38 years.
Court records show case management conferences scheduled for February 13th and 20th on the previous arrests. Those incidents would add several more years to his prison time if convicted.
