HAMPTON, NH — A felon formerly living in Concord was arrested on a gun possession charge in Hampton on Monday, according to police.
Jason Brooks, 47, of Lafayette Road in Hampton, was arrested on a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon charge.
According to an affidavit, on May 26, Hampton police received a tip accusing Brooks of attempting to sell a firearm to a Hampton resident. The officer conducted an online search of Brooks and found he was a convicted felon and a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive of the week in March 2022.
Detectives with the department confirmed Brooks worked for the restaurant and conducted a criminal history check, which revealed felony convictions in Rockingham County Superior Court in September 2004, a report stated.
They then met with the town resident, who confirmed that two days before, he was at the restaurant and was approached by Brooks about purchasing the handgun, the report stated. The resident owns other firearms, has personal knowledge about firearms, and "was positive" the gun was real, detectives wrote. The man eyed the gun but declined to purchase it, handing it back to Brooks, an affidavit stated.
The resident also gave police a tip about another person who may have previously eyed the handgun, according to the report.
Detectives met with that man, who said three days before, while at the same restaurant, Brooks approached him, too, about buying the gun, the affidavit said. The second man said the gun "felt and looked real." He, too, declined to buy it, and handed it back to Brooks, the affidavit said.
On June 30, a tourist renting property on H Street reached out to police concerning Brooks, the affidavit said. The woman accused him of exiting a rental unit while carrying a handgun. He then proceeded to load the firearm in their presence, as well as her children, the affidavit said.
Three days later, a property manager for the building also reached out to police regarding Brooks' failure to pay rent and threats against other tenants, the affidavit said. The other tenants were three J1 visa students, the report stated.
Police met with the students, who had been in the states for a couple of weeks. They claimed Brooks showed them the handgun and allowed them to hold it, the affidavit said. There was no mention of any threats by the students, according to the report.
On Monday, police, along with the Seacoast Emergency Response Team, went to the Hampton Motor Inn to arrest Brooks on a warrant. The tactical team was requested due to the "potential risk to officers, the public, and the suspect," according to Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno.
"Our priority is always the safety of our community, our officers and everyone involved," he said. "The successful outcome of this operation reflects the professionalism of our investigators and the strong partnership we have with the Seacoast Emergency Response Team. We appreciate the cooperation of the public as officers carried out this operation safely and efficiently."
Brooks was arraigned by video on Tuesday in Hampton District Court and requested a lawyer.
Editor's note: This post was derived from information provided by the Hampton Police Department and does not constitute a conviction. This link explains how to request the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.
According to superior court records, Brooks is a felon due to reckless conduct and criminal threatening felony convictions after an incident in Portsmouth in January 2004. During that incident, he was also charged with simple assault and felony attempt. In September 2004, he pleaded guilty to all but one reckless conduct and the attempt charges and was sentenced to prison on two three- to six-year concurrent terms.
Brooks was convicted on habitual offender and falsifying physical evidence charges in January 2017 after an incident in Hooksett in April 2016. He pleaded guilty to the charges and received a 12-month jail sentence on the driving charge and a one-to two-year prison sentence on the evidence charge, which was suspended for three years.
In June 2020, he was accused of habitual offender and conduct after an accident after an incident in Concord. Two years later, he pleaded guilty to both charges and received two 12-month jail sentences, one suspended for three years.
In March 2022, Brooks was accused of second-degree assault and felon in possession of a dangerous weapon in Concord in September 2021. The second-degree assault charge was downgraded to simple assault, and he received a 12-month suspended sentence. The felon in possession charge was nolle prossed.
In Concord in March 2024, when he was living on Alice Drive in Penacook, Brooks was charged with habitual offender and false report to law enforcement, as well as a stop-stand-park-prohibited violation. The violation was nolle prossed in October 2025. Brooks pleaded guilty to the other charges and received a 12-month jail sentence and a one-and-a-half-to-three-year prison sentence, both suspended.
Other priors, according to police reports on Patch, include warrant arrests, fraudulent use of a credit card, receiving stolen property, motor vehicles; penalties, criminal threatening, reckless operation, operating after suspension, criminal mischief, and simple assault.
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