CASPER — A 40-year-old Casper man admitted Wednesday he bit off the tip of a Natrona County Sheriff’s Office Deputy during an altercation last May.
The admission was part of a plea deal with Natrona County District Attorney Dan Itzen that now has Andrew Beau Barrett facing a potential 35 years in prison.
Barrett appeared in Judge Daniel Forgey’s courtroom unshackled and on crutches to compensate for the missing bottom half of his left leg. His orange jail pants were pinned above his left knee.
Barrett was initially facing four charges, including aggravated assault and battery as a habitual criminal with a potential life sentence; interference with a police officer; and two counts possession of a controlled substance for a third or subsequent offense.
The hearing was delayed for a time because Barrett's attorney Jonathan Foreman didn’t have the plea agreement on his calendar.
Forgey put people out of the courtroom so Barrett would have an opportunity to confer via video with Foreman and stand-in defense attorney Dylan Rosalez, who was in the courtroom.
Itzen said he would drop the potential life sentence associated with the habitual criminal aspect of the aggravated assault and battery charge to a habitual criminal charge punishable by not less than 10 years or more than 50 years.
Itzen said he would not ask for more than 35 years.
The plea deal also dropped the interference with a police officer charge and one possession charge.
Itzen said the sentence on the remaining possession charge would be served concurrently with Barrett’s sentence on the habitual offender assault and battery charge.
The judge asked Barrett if he understood the terms of the plea agreement.
“Yes sir,” he said.
Previous Convictions
Forgey then went through the charges against Barrett and referenced a previous fourth driving under the influence conviction, third domestic battery conviction, and previous aggravated assault and battery charge as qualifying him for the habitual offender aggravated assault charge.
Forgey referenced previous drug possession charges as qualifying him for the possession of meth charge, third occasion or more.
“Do you now plead guilty to these two charges? Forgey asked.
“I do,” Barrett said.
The judge asked him about biting off the tip of the deputy’s finger, and Barrett admitted he caused bodily injury to the officer.
“I was headed to jail for the possession and was kind of arguing with them,” he said.
Barrett said he had been placed in a restraint chair, and a deputy had put his fingers by his jaw.
“It was kind of like a reflex and I bit him,” he said.
“Do you agree it took off a piece of his finger?” Forgey asked.
“Yes, it did,” Barrett said.
Barrett also told Forgey that he had a pipe with meth residue that officers found in a drawer of his residence.
He told the judge that he had used it and agreed he had been convicted on at least three other times for possession of drugs.
Foreman also agreed that the case before the court represented his client’s fourth felony conviction.
Forgey said he would take into account the police affidavits in the case to supplement Barrett’s guilty plea.
He then ordered a presentence investigation.
The judge asked Barrett if he was “OK” with the video appearance of his attorney and “what we did.”
“Yeah, I’m alright,” he said.
The Background
Barrett’s appearances in district court for the plea deal and arraignment were far different than his initial appearance on the charges in Casper Circuit Court.
During those he barked, made growling sounds, stuck out his tongue, and then answered the judge’s questions as if nothing was amiss.
The case against Barrett followed a probation and parole check May 13, 2025, that involved a Wyoming Probation and Parole agent and Casper Police Department officer.
A court affidavit filed by the Casper officer states that when visiting Barrett, the officer noticed him “hop over to a table in his living room” and put a plastic bag in his pocket.
A search of the house uncovered a glass pipe with burn marks used for meth, and Barrett told the officer the plastic bag held marijuana.
He was arrested.
Barrett was on parole after serving prison time for an aggravated assault and battery charge that involved biting off the tip of an index finger of a Banner Wyoming Medical Center employee on Feb. 1, 2021.
On the way to jail May 13, 2025, the affidavit states that Barrett said he was “crocodilian” and began making “guttural growling noises.”
Once at the jail, a separate arrest affidavit filed by a Natrona County Sheriff’s Office investigator said Barrett fought with deputies after being taken out the patrol car.
Deputies rolled a restraint chair out to the garage and moved Barrett into the chair as Barrett resisted and fought, the affidavit states.
A deputy behind Barrett used a technique to control his head to keep him from biting or spitting at deputies.
Barrett was able to pull his head away and bite down on the deputy’s ring finger, "biting down with enough force to bite through the flesh and glove tearing away part of the finger from the first joint,” the affidavit states.
The deputy was taken to the hospital and received stitches to keep his finger intact.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
