Former Warren man tied to young Warren woman’s death gets 21 years in federal prison

Staff report

CLEVELAND

Former Warren resident James E. Brooks, accused in the death of a young Warren woman last year, was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison Monday for federal drug and firearm crimes.

Brooks, 41, pleaded guilty in April to the offenses for which he was sentenced Monday, including distribution of heroin and crack cocaine, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

He still has charges pending in Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court related to the death of Alesha Bell, 18, of Warren, whose burned remains were found at Brooks’ home on U.S. Route 6 in Roaming Shores last year.

Brooks has had numerous felony convictions in Trumbull County over the years.

“This defendant has spent most of his adult life terrorizing people,” U.S. Attorney Carole Rendon said of Brooks. “This long prison sentence is appropriate given this defendant’s actions.”

Among the criminal charges in Ashtabula County are involuntary manslaughter and kidnapping related to Bell. The others are trafficking in persons, kidnapping and abduction.

If convicted on those charges, he could get about 30 more years in prison.

Bell’s remains were found Aug. 20, 2015, when the Trumbull Ashtabula Group Law Enforcement Task Force went to Brooks’ home to serve a search warrant as part of a drug investigation, but authorities suspected that Brooks was somehow tied to the disappearance of Bell.

Bell’s mother reported her missing July 23, 2015, and Brooks’ involuntary-manslaughter charges say he caused Bell’s death between July 23, 2015, and Aug. 20, 2015.