A Santa Barbara attorney pleaded not guilty Monday to felony charges of sexual assault, including rape of a drugged victim and oral copulation by intoxication.
Andrew Alire, 40, was arrested this spring after a woman accused him of drugging her at a downtown bar then assaulting her at his home. A second woman has since come forward with similar allegations.
Alire was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2012 and worked for the Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s office before starting his own private practice. He remains actively licensed, though a “consumer alert” on the State Bar website warns he has been charged with a felony crime.
The victim, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, told detectives the last thing she remembers the night of January 15 is playing darts with Alire at the State Street bar. The two had connected that evening through a meetup app that Doe, new to town, uses to make friends. They each bought each other a single drink.
Doe said she was erasing the chalk scoreboard to start another game when her memory abruptly ends. Shortly thereafter video footage reportedly shows Alire guiding Doe, who needed help staying on her feet, to a waiting Uber.
Doe said she regained consciousness hours later at Alire’s house with him on top of her trying to penetrate her. He was holding her down by her shoulder and thigh, she claimed.
The next day, Doe contacted police and underwent a rape examination at Cottage Hospital. Following a two-month investigation, detectives arrested Alire on March 17 and booked him in jail. He was released hours later after posting $100,000 bail.
Neither Alire nor his attorney responded to requests for comment.
In a written statement to the court, Doe said Alire’s alleged actions “were not a misunderstanding, not a lapse in judgment.” Instead, she insisted, “They were calculated, deliberate choices ― carried out while I was incapacitated and unable to resist ― that stripped me of my safety, bodily autonomy, and basic human dignity.”
The impact on Doe’s life “has been catastrophic,” she stated. Since the incident, she has undergone extensive trauma therapy, requires ongoing medical care, and has been unable to work. “Justice in this case cannot undo the pain, but it can prevent further harm,” she said.
In their charging documents, prosecutors said they plan to introduce evidence of “any prior act(s) of sexual offenses committed by the defendant.” Records show Alire was arrested in 2016 for soliciting prostitution.
Following Monday’s arraignment hearing, a second Jane Doe provided the Independent with a statement she had also given to authorities.
“Last year, I went on a date with Mr. Alire, during which he purchased a drink for me,” Jane Doe #2 wrote. “Later that night, I experienced a level of memory loss and disorientation that felt inconsistent with the amount of alcohol I had consumed. I recall there being sexual contact, but I am unable to remember the full extent of what occurred.”
“I have recently learned that Mr. Alire is currently facing criminal charges related to the sexual assault of another individual,” she continued. “While I am not commenting on those charges directly, I’ve chosen to share my own experience. As a longtime resident of Santa Barbara, I hope that by speaking out I can prevent this from happening to anyone else in our community.”
Alire is scheduled for his next court appearance on August 25.
