Kern County D.A.’s Wife Strikes a Deal in Prescription Drug Case

The estranged wife of Kern County Dist. Atty. Ed Jagels pleaded no contest Wednesday to three counts of prescription drug fraud for trying to pass phony prescriptions at Bakersfield pharmacies.

The plea agreement between Bryanna Jagels, 32, and the state attorney general’s office calls for no jail time, said Jagels’ attorney, Kyle Humphrey. Instead, she could be required to spend up to a year in a drug treatment facility, perform up to 300 hours of community service and serve five years’ probation.

Humphrey called the outcome a good deal for his client. “This is a wonderful lady, who fell into an addiction to prescription drugs,” he said.

The attorney general’s office originally filed four felony and six misdemeanor charges of prescription fraud after Jagels was stopped by police on Nov. 26 after complaints by a pharmacy that a woman had tried to pass a prescription for a painkiller and sedative several days earlier. She pleaded no contest to one felony and two misdemeanors.

Ed Jagels filed for divorce and sole custody of the couple’s 4-year-old son just days after his wife was stopped by police.