Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 Source: Santa Barbara News-Press (CA) Copyright: 2000 Santa Barbara News-Press Contact: http://www.newspress.com/ Author: News-Press Staff Report Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n030/a01.html 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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D