Bismarck man convicted of two felony child sex crimes

Jeannie Barton-Northrup, jnorthrup@dailyjournalonline.com

On July 21, Erik T. Brooks, 29, of Bismarck, pleaded guilty in St. Francois County Court to one count of enticement or attempted enticement of a child and one count of first-degree statutory rape or attempted statutory rape.

Erik T. Brooks

Brooks was sentenced to 20 years for each count and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Both 20-year sentences will be served concurrently at the Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston, Missouri.

Brooks was initially charged in 2019 after allegations surfaced from a minor female under the age of 14. According to a probable cause statement by St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department, Brooks applied to a local fire department and was questioned regarding concerns raised by a family member of the minor.

Brooks was asked what he had been doing during the time of the allegations. According to the statement, Brooks said he was with his wife, but when asked again, he hung his head and started crying.

Brooks reportedly said that he made a huge mistake and admitted that he had sex with the minor, according to the statement. Brooks stated that the incident occurred behind his home in Bismarck.

The minor reportedly stated that Brooks had performed sexual acts on her and that she and Brooks had performed sexual acts with each other.

Resources to help

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE, online.rainn.org y rainn.org/es) in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.