California candidate’s DUI past, turbulant marriage exposed

A California supervisor candidate’s dark past is resurfacing — with explosive details of a fatal DUI crash and a turbulent marriage coming to light.

Charles “Brook” Allen, who is running for a seat on the Madera County Board of Supervisors, has a decades-long history of legal troubles — including a criminal conviction and ongoing court cases — according to a report from The Fresno Bee.

Allen, 48, was previously incarcerated after a 2000 crash in Alpine County, California in which he drove under the influence and struck a 61-year-old woman who later died, the outlet reported. He ultimately entered a no-contest plea and served about 30 months in custody.

The candidate told The Bee the crash was one of many “missteps” in his life.

“Really, the only way to learn is misstep,” Allen said. “I’ve got a lot of missteps, surely, but every one I learned from and worked to be better.”

But court records show his past extends beyond the deadly crash.

Allen’s ex-wife accused him of years of emotional and verbal abuse during a contentious divorce, according to filings reviewed by The Bee.

In 2008, she and the couple’s young son fled to a domestic violence shelter, and she was granted a restraining order against Allen that remained in place for five years, the outlet reported.

In court documents, she alleged a pattern of abuse in which Allen would yell insults, throw objects, and attempt to control access to money and communication.

“Charles gets in my face and yells at me,” she wrote in one filing.

Records cited by the outlet also show the couple’s therapist raised concerns about Allen’s temper, while a behavioral health official warned it was “imperative” the woman and her child remain in a confidential shelter location due to safety concerns.

Allen acknowledged making “poor decisions” during the relationship but denied that it ever became physical.

The candidate, who currently serves as a trustee on the Yosemite Unified School District board, is also facing ongoing legal scrutiny tied to his businesses.

He is listed as a defendant in a misdemeanor case alleging failure to maintain workers’ compensation insurance, and separately in a civil lawsuit accusing one of his companies of removing a tree without consent — claims he disputes, The Bee reported.

State records also show one of his companies was suspended in 2021 over unpaid taxes, with more than $17,000 still owed as of April, according to the outlet.

Despite the controversies, Allen argued his past makes him better suited for public office.

“That’s what makes me special,” he told The Bee, adding that his experiences give him insight into the struggles of the communities he hopes to represent.

Allen is one of several candidates in the June primary for the District 5 seat — where his dark past is now front and center for voters.

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