GOP adviser charged in dispute
He faces one count of domestic battery against then-fiancée
Benjamin Sparks, the Republican consultant accused of sexually enslaving and assaulting his thenfiancée, was charged Tuesday with one misdemeanor count of domestic battery.
According to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Las Vegas Justice Court, Sparks is charged with unlawfully using “force or violence against or upon” his then-fiancée, who called police March 29 after a domestic dispute at the woman’s Las Vegas home. His arraignment is set for 8:30 a.m. May 8.
Emails, text messages and other documents obtained by the Review-journal showed Sparks and the woman signed a contract declaring her his sex slave and forcing her to walk around naked, wear a collar in private and have sex with him whenever he wanted. He also demanded she have sex with other men while he watched.
Sparks, 35, served as an adviser and a spokesman for numerous
GOP campaigns, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Mexico lawmaker Yvette Herrell and former U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy of Nevada, who is running for Congress again this year.
Sparks was fired from his job at the Las Vegas-based consulting firm Redrock Strategies following the domestic dispute.
If convicted, Sparks could face up to six months in jail and 120 hours of community service, as well as a fine of up to $1,000. The woman, who is not being identified by the Review-journal because she is a victim, said Tuesday she plans to file a supplemental po
CHARGES
raise enough to give multiple scholarships.
“For a $15 Uber ride, my daughter would still be here,” Rhonda Hawley said. “She can’t just be the face of that. We want to honor the things she’s done.”
The high school junior left behind two older sisters: Heather, 23, and Ashlee, 20, Aaron Hawley said.
Rhonda Hawley said her youngest daughter wanted to be a part of her older sister’s team so badly, they gave her a team jersey and she became an honorary player because she was too young to play with her other girls.
“When you walked into a room, you knew Brooke,” she said. “I used to tell her, ‘You can either be right or be happy.’ She always wanted to be right.”
George Mckenna, one of her soccer coaches for the Las Vegas Sports Academy, where she played for more than three years, said the young girl played defense this year.
“She was a pretty funny kid, one of those players that never worked in practice,” he said. “She was a game player, she gave it her all.”
And when the ball was going out of bounds and she couldn’t get it, he said, she’d give a smile under her ginger hair.
“Like, ‘Yeah, I wasn’t getting that one,’” he said.
Last Saturday, the team had its first game without her, and players were playing against another club team, he said. Three teams joined together to play in her memory.
“There was no competition at that level,” he said. “It was a nice memorytoputtoher.”
The day she died, Brooke received two emails from coaches asking about her grades and what games she had coming up, Aaron Hawley said.
She had played soccer at every level, including making the roster of an Elite Clubs National League team.
Brooke was a member of two Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup championship teams, was on the runner-up teams in two Nevada Youth Soccer Association State Cup tournaments and became part of a State Cup championship team last year.
Standing in front of his daughter’s varsity soccer jersey and pictures of her proudly holding a soccer ball, Aaron Hawley pointed to her picture.
He said he wants to show the future scholarship recipient Brooke’s photo and share her story.
“I want her to meet my daughter,” he said. “I just want people to know that little girl was worth it.”
Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @brianarerick on Twitter.