CASPER, Wyo. — A Casper man with an extensive criminal history received a 28- to 35-year prison sentence on Friday after pleading guilty to biting a Natrona County deputy’s finger above the first joint with enough force to tear away flesh and permanently damage the nailbed.
Andrew “Beau” Barrett, 40, originally faced a habitual offender enhancement on the aggravated assault and battery charge that could have resulted in a life sentence. Barrett took a deal to face 35 years maximum when he changed his plea on January 21.
Barrett was on parole for a similar offense against a hospital staff member in 2021 and had tested positive for methamphetamine, prompting a home visit from parole agents on May 13, 2025, according to the case record. Officers noted signs of stimulant use and bizarre statements by Barrett, including “something to the effect of being a ‘crocodilian’ and making guttural growling noises,” the affidavit said.
Police found 1.5 grams of marijuana and a pipe with methamphetamine residue, and Barrett was arrested to serve out a jail sanction.
The Natrona County Sheriff’s Office affidavit said Barrett was combative upon arrival at the jail and ultimately placed in a restraint chair. Barrett continued to thrash so Deputy Chad Beckett, who was behind the chair, used a “custody and control technique” to restrain his head.
While Beckett’s hands were near Barrett’s jaw, Barrett bit down, the report said.
“It was kind of like a reflex, and I got him,” Barrett told Judge Forgey at his change-of-plea hearing.
Barrett’s public defender Jonathan Foreman said that though Beckett hadn’t submitted a victim impact statement, he knew the deputy bore no ill will toward Barrett, and that Barrett had essentially been a model inmate.
“I’m kind of friends with the guy,” Barrett said on Friday. “I do feel bad about what I did.”
Assistant District Attorney Jeff Meyer noted that the 2021 hospital case had essentially the same circumstances, resulting in damage to the fingertip of a security guard. Meyer said that Barrett had also bitten a family member during a domestic battery case in the summer of 2022.
Meyer noted that Barrett’s criminal history dated back to 2002, and there were felony convictions for DUI in 2009, domestic battery in 2012 and the conviction for the hospital case in 2023, which resulted in a three- to five-year sentence with credit for time served.
“It’s obvious supervision just does not work for this defendant,” Meyer said.
Foreman told Judge Forgey that Barrett began struggling with a mental health diagnosis in 2020 exacerbated by a motorcycle crash in 2022 that resulted in the amputation of one of Barrett’s legs above the knee.
Though methamphetamine use was implied in the case reports, Foreman said the lab had found levels in his system comparable to a prescription for Adderall, and that Barrett had been off a key medication at the time of the offense.
“When he’s on the proper regimen, Mr. Barrett is the nicest guy you’ll meet in your life,” Foreman said. “I agree he needs a time-out before rejoins the community, but he has substantial rehabilitative potential.”
Foreman asked for a 10- to 20-year sentence.
“I’m not a monster out there looking for victims,” Barrett said. He said he’d only succumbed to methamphetamine use in the last six years since his mental health diagnosis.
Barrett will get credit for the 368 days served since his arrest.
