PRISON GUARD IN L.A. FOR HEARING

Bribery Case

After briefly appearing Tuesday before a federal magistrate in Santa
Barbara, a prison guard accused of taking a bribe to smuggle marijuana into
the Lompoc Federal Penitentiary was taken to Los Angeles for a bail hearing
today.

John Scott Brooks, 28, of Lompoc is expected to request that a lawyer from
the federal Public Defender's Office be appointed to represent him,
according to local defense attorney Steve Balash, who made a one-time
appearance on Brooks' behalf before U.S. Magistrate Willard W. McEwen Jr.

"I don't know the facts of the case," Balash said when asked to respond to
the government's charge that Brooks accepted a bribe as a federal public
official in exchange for trying to smuggle contraband into the prison west
of Lompoc.

Authorities have not disclosed how large the alleged bribe was or how much
marijuana was to be smuggled into the facility. U.S. Attorney Mary Andrues,
who is prosecuting the case, could not be reached for comment and did not
return phone calls to her Los Angeles office Monday or Tuesday.

Brooks, who was arrested Saturday in Santa Maria, remains in custody
without bail pending the hearing today, Balash said.