Former King City cop Jaime Andrade sentenced to three years probation for firearms crimes.

Former King City Police Officer Jaime Andrade was sentenced Friday morning to three years of probation, 200 hours of community service and 30 days in jail, though he is expected to complete a work alternative program and not serve any actual time. 

Andrade was arrested in February 2014 and charged with possession of an unregistered assault weapon and negligent storage of a firearm. 

Prosecutors and Andrade agreed to a plea deal Feb. 27, with Andrade pleading no contest to two misdemeanor charges. 

Andrade could have faced up to one year in jail. 

"The law is there for a very specific reason: to protect our community and innocent bystanders," said Monterey County Superior Court Judge Mark Hood, in delivering the sentence. "If anyone knows the dangers of storing a firearm in an unsecured location, it would be a law enforcement officer."

The negligent storage charge stems Andrade's stepson, who was 17 when he was pulled over and detained in a traffic stop in Salinas on July 24, 2013. He was arrested for concealing and carrying Andrade's assault weapon. 

Andrade reportedly bought the gun from another former King City police officer, Mario Mottu, Jr., for $1,500 in cash. Deputy District Attorney Douglas Matheson says the two first purchased similar firearms the same day from an authorized gun dealer in 2010. 

Andrade later reported his weapon missing after his Soledad home was burglarized in 2012, then bought Mottu's similar gun in April, 2013.

Matheson declined to comment on whether charges may be filed against Mottu; firearms transactions are required to be conducted by a licensed gun dealer, and the weapons are required to be registered within 90 days of purchase. 

Matheson pushed for a tougher sentence Friday morning, claiming Andrade was caught lying twice according to the probation report.

"The defendant has told a bare-faced lie," Matheson told Judge Hood. "[Andrade] told [an investigator] it was kept in an unlocked cabinet."

The dispute hinged on whether Andrade had lied to investigators about keeping the gun in a locked safe, when in reality it wasn't. 

Andrade's attorney, Manuel Nieto, says that distinction amounts to insignificant details at this point. "I don't think the details are as important as what happened; All sides agree that his stepson got a gun. 

Andrade was terminated from the police department in May 2014, and appealed the firing. An arbitrator upheld Andrade's termination.