San Diego

Public Defender Pleads Guilty to Giving Firearm to Felon

The public defender's lawyer could not say whether his client would lose her job, or her license to practice law

A San Diego County public defender was in court Friday, not to defend a client, but to plead guilty to providing a firearm to a felon.

Andrea Bayer, 37, pleaded guilty to the charge and a second felony charge of aiding and abetting a felon to possess a firearm was dismissed.

Because it was a plea deal, there was no need to argue bail or the facts of the case in open court. As a result, the public does not know who the felon is, what kind of gun was involved, or even if the gun was used to commit a crime.

Bayer faces four years in prison, but the Deputy District Attorney said that under the plea deal the judge can consider probation. During sentencing, the public could find out more about what happened in Bayer’s case, according to the DA.

Bayer is out on her own recognizance. Her lawyer said he could not talk about whether she will lose her license to practice law or her job as an alternate public defender for the county.

Bayer’s sentencing is scheduled for some time after April 5.

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