Eckert Enters No-Contest Plea to Charge of Disturbing Peace

Former North County Supervisor Paul Eckert has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace and has had a charge of soliciting a prostitute dismissed.

Deputy City Atty. Maura Warren said Wednesday that the plea was entered Friday and that Eckert was sentenced to three years of probation.

Municipal Court Judge Louis Boyle fined Eckert $180, with the stipulation that $30 of it go to the state crime victims restitution fund, Warren said.

Eckert, 54, of Vista, did not appear in court, and his attorney, Steven E. Feldman, entered the plea in his behalf, as is routine in many misdemeanor cases.

Eckert declined to comment on the matter when called at home Wednesday evening.

When asked why the solicitation charge was dismissed and Eckert was allowed to plead no contest to disturbing the peace, Warren said: “It’s a standard offer for a first-time” offender in this situation.

Eckert was to appear in court this Friday, but his attorney appeared for him last week and disposed of his case.

Feldman said Wednesday that Eckert decided to enter the no-contest plea in part to avoid a public trial and to protect his privacy. “These are only allegations,” Feldman said.

Eckert was cited Dec. 11 after he approached an undercover decoy female police officer posing as a prostitute in the 5200 block of El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego. He told reporters afterward that he did not solicit the woman.

Eckert is a former chairman of the Board of Supervisors who was defeated for reelection in the June, 1985, primary by Clyde Romney and John MacDonald. MacDonald subsequently won the general election.

In 1983, Eckert’s political reputation was damaged after vice officers allegedly spotted him bar-hopping with two women, one of whom was later implicated in a prostitution ring. No charges were filed against Eckert then.