Melody Brumble

Louisiana

Shreveport police Sgt. Jason Brook must pay a $500 fine — then his criminal record will be expunged.

Brook, a 21-year veteran of the Shreveport Police Department, Oct. 21 pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor by taking his 15-year-old son to the Brass Monkey, a Shreveport bar, in September. Charges against his wife, Shreveport police Sgt. Kim Brook, were dismissed.

Caddo Juvenile Court Judge David Matlock this morning accepted a pre-sentencing recommendation that Brook be fined. Matlock also directed — over the prosecution’s objection — that Brook’s conviction be vacated as soon as he pays the fine, which means that the police officer will have no criminal record. A conviction on the charge carries a sentence of up to six months in jail.

Brook will be on probation until he pays the fine or for 30 days, whichever comes first. He’s on paid administrative leave from the police department. Brook also is chairman of the Shreveport Police and Fire Civil Service Board.

Matlock gave Brook a brief lecture after announcing the sentence.

“Again, judgment, a lapse, you got that. Bad parenting, you got that. You don’t need me to tell you that,” Matlock. “Your role, your vocation, your calling, call you to a higher standard. Please use this for the betterment of society. I hope you pay your fine soon.”

After the hearing, neither Brook nor his attorney, Jason Waltman, responded to a reporter’s question about when Brook will pay his fine.

“We don’t have time to talk right now,” Waltman said as the pair strode from the Juvenile Justice Complex in Shreveport.

A 10-minute, in-chambers conference between Matlock and attorneys for both sides preceded the sentencing.

Adults usually are tried in city or state district courts, but some cases involving adults fall under the juvenile court’s jurisdiction, including those involving a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

Twitter: @mbrumble