DRUG CHARGES FILED AGAINST EX-OFFICER

Orange County prosecutors filed drug charges Thursday against a former
South Pasadena police officer who allegedly ran a methamphetamine lab
out of his San Clemente home.

Officers arrested James Avery Brisco and his girlfriend, Angie Corado,
on Tuesday as the couple left the house in separate Mercedes-Benz
cars, said Tori Richards, spokeswoman for the district attorney's office.

Detectives from a county task force targeting meth labs discovered
half a pound of methamphetamine, a pound of solution capable of
manufacturing the drug and other drug paraphernalia inside the
couple's home and one of the cars, Richards said. The house was also
equipped with surveillance monitors, she said.

Brisco, 35, worked as an officer for six months in 1991, said South
Pasadena Police Capt. Mike Ward. He declined to say whether Brisco
quit the agency or was fired, citing privacy concerns.

Brisco and Corado pleaded not guilty to the charges. They each face up
to 12 years in prison if convicted.