A 35-year-old man arrested twice in Pitt County earlier this year after deputies say he shot at a home and into a field near a district court judge’s house is now facing federal charges.
Claude Brooks was arrested on gun and drug charges after the February incident – but deputies say he gave a false name and an Arizona driver’s license. Pitt County officials say the asked the magistrate to hold “Ryan Green” until they could confirm his identity.
However, he was granted a $100,000 bond, and released after a bondsman paid the bail. He didn’t show up for a court hearing, and soon after investigators learned that Green was Claude Brooks – who was wanted in Florida for the 2019 death of a child in his care.
Brooks was arrested again in March by the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office with help from the FBI and the U.S. Marshall Service, after barricading himself in a home in Greenville.
He’s awaiting extradition to Florida.
Federal indictments were recently handed down that also include gun and drug charges.
In Florida, Brooks faces charges of first-degree murder while engaged in aggravated child abuse and aggravated child abuse.
While the Hillsborough County, Florida sheriff’s office has not identified the child Brooks is accused of beating to death or provided their age, in a Sept. 1, 2021, episode of “In Pursuit With John Walsh” it was reported that the victim was an 8-month-old baby.
