Ex-Investigator Admits To Witness Tampering

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Channel 10 News

Ex-Investigator Admits To Witness Tampering
Karen Cabrera Worked For SD County Public Defender's Office

POSTED: 3:43 pm PST January 12, 2010
UPDATED: 3:46 pm PST January 12, 2010

SAN DIEGO -- A former supervising investigator in the county Public Defender's Office pleaded guilty to an obstruction of justice charge Tuesday, admitting she took her son's girlfriend to Acapulco at a time the girlfriend was overdue to testify about an alleged beating by the son.

Karen Cabrera, 59, pleaded guilty Tuesday to the felony, for spiriting the woman out of the nation while the younger woman had a warrant out for her arrest for failing to show up to court to testify in the son's domestic violence trial.

Cabrera has retired and will be placed on probation when she is formally sentenced March 15 by Judge Kathleen Lewis. If the defendant is successful on probation after 18 months, prosecutors won't oppose a motion to reduce the felony charge to a misdemeanor, said Deputy District Attorney Laura Gunn.


As a result of the plea, charges of dissuading and attempting to dissuade a witness from testifying were dismissed.

At a preliminary hearing in November, defense attorney Stephen Cline said his client acted "foolishly" when she helped Jennifer Wren by purchasing airline tickets to Acapulco and escorting Wren to the Mexican resort in September 2008, while there was an $100,000 warrant out for her arrest.

According to court testimony, Wren's longtime boyfriend and Cabrera's son, Alejandro "Alex" Cabrera, was accused of assaulting Wren on May 29, 2008.

Read more: http://www.10news.com/news/22220941/detail.html