IN BRIEF : Rose Probe Figure to Plead Guilty

A man identified in news reports as a central figure in an investigation that led to a gambling investigation of Cincinnati Reds Manager Pete Rose announced today his intention of pleading guilty to federal charges of cocaine distribution and lying on an income tax return.

Ronald Peters, 31, made public his intent to plead guilty at a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Robert Steinberg in U.S. District Court. Peters was released afterward on a $5,000 recognizance bond and is to appear before a U.S. district judge after a 45-day investigation by court probation officers.

Peters, owner of Jonathan’s bar-restaurant in Franklin, Ohio, told the magistrate that he will plead guilty to a charge of distribution of cocaine and a charge of making a false statement on his 1985 tax return. He could get maximum punishment of 20 years in prison, a $1-million fine and three years’ probation on the cocaine charge and up to three years and a $250,000 fine on the tax charge.

Peters, his lawyer, James Ruppert, and federal authorities declined any comment on whether Peters had any gambling involvement with Rose. Internal Revenue Service investigators seized betting slips from Peters the day after FBI agents obtained the court’s permission to search his car for drugs, court records show.