Eggleston's Brother To Return To Duty

TACOMA - The brother of a Tacoma man charged with the killing of a Pierce County sheriff's deputy has been cleared of possible involvement in narcotics violations and was scheduled to return to work today, a sheriff's department spokesman said.

Brent Eggleston, a sheriff's deputy himself, was cleared this week of any involvement in the alleged drug dealing of his brother, Brian Thomas Eggleston, said sheriff's spokesman Curt Benson. Brian Eggleston is accused of killing Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy John Bananola during a drug raid at Brian Eggleston's home Oct. 16.

A team of sheriff's deputies raided the east Tacoma home after allegedly gathering evidence that linked Brian Eggleston to drugs. In conducting the raid, sheriff's officials were also seeking to find whether Brent Eggleston was involved in illegal activity, Benson said.

According to charging papers, Brian Eggleston fatally shot Bananola as deputies entered his home. Eggleston, 25, has said he was acting in self-defense and didn't know the deputies were law-enforcement officers.