GEORGETOWN, Colo. - A former stripper recently ousted as mayor of a Colorado town got more exposure as she appeared in court on charges she staged an attack on herself and announced she had posed nude for Playboy.
Koleen Brooks allegedly made a false report to police about being attacked in February near her home. She said she was slashed and had the scars to prove it. Local residents speculated Brooks, who had a rocky tenure as mayor, invented the story about the attack to garner sympathy.
In a brief hearing in Clear Creek County Court, Brooks on Thursday asked a judge for a change of venue for her case because of the publicity surrounding her in the mountain town of Georgetown 40 miles west of Denver. Judge Edward Casias ordered a hearing on the request for next month.
"There are some people in Georgetown that I don't trust," Brooks told reporters after leaving the courtroom.
Brooks told reporters after her court appearance that she spent two days in Chicago this week posing nude for Playboy magazine's Web site. "I was pleased with how the pictures came out," she said. "Depending on how many hits I get will determine my fee."
The 37-year-old former exotic dancer at Shotgun Willie's in Denver was ousted in a recall vote last week after a stormy year in office.
She clashed with other city officials over growth issues. Her opponents also said she bared her breasts at a local bar, something she denied.
In February, Brooks was charged with tampering with evidence and filing a false report after investigators said the wounds she presented were self-inflicted. Brooks denies the charges and said she is "scared to death" because her attacker is on the loose. If she is found guilty, she could go to prison for up to 18 months and be fined up to $100,000.
With name identification that would be the envy of most politicians, Brooks said on Thursday she may run again for mayor in 2003.
"The year off will give me time to promote Georgetown," she said.
