On January 31, 2026, at approximately 5:09 PM, Officer Perry and Officer Peterson with the Rochester Police Department were dispatched to a call of a suspicious person located in the 500 block of Willow Bend SW in Rochester, Olmsted County, Minnesota. Upon their arrival, they located the vehicle identified by the caller, a blue Cadillac sedan, which was parked near the caller’s residence. The vehicle began to back up, but when Officer Perry activated his squad car’s lights, the vehicle stopped. Officer Peterson approached on the driver’s side and made contact with the driver, DAVID LEE BROOKS, [DOB REDACTED]. Officer Peterson noticed Brooks was speaking quickly and with disorganized speech, and his pupils were constricted for the lighting conditions.
Officer Peterson asked Brooks to exit the vehicle. When asked about his driving status, Brooks admitted that his license was suspended. Officer Peterson had to instruct Brooks multiple times to put away his wallet, and he was fidgety and could not stay still. Brooks stated he used methamphetamine approximately 5-6 days prior and consumed one shot of tequila approximately 4-5 hours prior. Officer Peterson conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs). She measured Brooks’ pulse at 122 Beats Per Minute (BPM). She observed lack of smooth pursuit during the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus SFST. During the Walk and Turn SFST, Brooks was unable to keep balance during the instructions, failed to touch heel to toe, stepped off the line, stopped while walking, used his arms to balance, and took an incorrect turn.
Brooks lost his balance several times during the One Leg Stand SFST, so Officer Peterson discontinued this test. During the Modified Romberg SFST, Brooks had eyelid tremors and was fidgeting with his hands. Brooks estimated the passage of 30 seconds in 1:22. Officer Peterson placed Brooks under arrest and transported him to the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center (ADC). At the ADC, Officer Peterson obtained a search warrant for Brooks’ blood or urine. Brooks provided a sample of his blood. While ADC Deputy Deangelo performed a strip search on Brooks, a baggie of a white crystalized substance fell onto the ground.
The substance later tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine and weighed 1.7 grams. Brooks has two prior impaired driving-related losses of license within the last 10 years. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: YOU MUST APPEAR FOR EVERY COURT HEARING REGARDING THIS CASE. FAILURE TO APPEAR FOR COURT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE AND MAY RESULT IN ADDITIONAL CRIMINAL CHARGES BEING IMPOSED AND PUNISHED AS PROVIDED IN MINNESOTA STATUTES SECTION 609.49.
