Man Pleads Not Guilty to Charges in Drug Case : Crime: Nicholas Brown and a sergeant-at-arms for the Assembly were arrested in a state-owned car that allegedly carried cocaine.

A Los Angeles man allegedly caught with cocaine and cash while riding in a state-owned Cadillac through Encino was arraigned Tuesday on narcotics charges.

Nicholas Robert Brown, 50, pleaded not guilty to two counts--possession of narcotics for sale and transportation of narcotics--during a morning arraignment in Downtown Los Angeles Municipal Court.

Brown, who once owned a dress store on Main Street in Santa Monica, was released on his own recognizance following the hearing, said Deputy Dist. Atty. David Sotelo. A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set July 20. Brown faces a maximum five years in prison and $10,000 fine if convicted.

Following a tip from a Neighborhood Watch group, in April, police arrested Brown and Donald Perry Thompson, 44, a sergeant-at-arms for the state Assembly, near the corner of Yarmouth Avenue and Ventura Boulevard. They were driving a state-owned car.

Sources have said that an undisclosed amount of cash and more than 30 grams of cocaine were allegedly discovered in the state Cadillac.

Authorities said they do not plan to file charges against Thompson, an officer assigned to the Los Angeles Assembly Rules Committee office. Thompson was occasionally a driver for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown when he visited Los Angeles.

Sotelo said there is insufficient evidence to prove that Thompson aided and abetted Brown’s alleged possession and transportation of drugs.

Following his arrest, Thompson was placed on paid administrative leave, but was reassigned to a desk job in mid-May, said Bob Connelly, chief administrative officer of the Assembly.

“I don’t think he’s going to be driving for us anymore,” Connelly said.

So far, Thompson has faced no disciplinary actions, but a review of the incident is ongoing, Connelly said.

Sergeants-at-arms are sworn state peace officers who provide security for meetings and hearings of the Assembly. About 80 sergeants-at-arms work for the Legislature, most in Sacramento, with only three stationed in the Los Angeles Assembly Rules office.