JUDGE ADMITS `STUPID' REMARK; BRADLEY TALKED OF `BLOWING AWAY' ESTRANGED WIFE, BOYFRIEND.Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff Writer Convicted of drunk driving and fighting for his job, suspended Superior Court Judge Robert C. Bradley testified Monday that he had once talked about ``blowing away'' his estranged es·trange tr.v. es·tranged, es·trang·ing, es·trang·es 1. To make hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent; alienate. 2. To remove from an accustomed place or set of associations. wife and her prosecutor boyfriend, but maintained that he meant no harm. The revelation came on the first day of a disciplinary proceeding held by the state Commission on Judicial Performance, which has charged Bradley with nine counts of professional misconduct professional misconduct, n conduct inappropriate to the practice of health care. professional misconduct Behavior by a professional that implies an intentional compromise of ethical standards. , failure to perform judicial duties and habitual intemperance A lack of moderation. Habitual intemperance is that degree of intemperance in the use of intoxicating liquor which disqualifies the person a great portion of the time from properly attending to business. Habitual or excessive use of liquor. Cross-references Alcohol. . The disciplinary action follows Bradley's conviction of two drunk-driving charges and several parole violations - incidents he has said resulted from the break-up of his marriage and the death of his mother last year. Two days after his Jan. 3 DUI arrest - his second - Bradley talked to Presiding Superior Court Judge Charles Campbell Charles Campbell can refer to several people:
According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. testimony by Campbell, Bradley said at one point, ``Maybe I ought to blow them both away.'' ``I felt that it was a statement that I shouldn't ignore,'' said Campbell, a longtime colleague of Bradley's. ``But I didn't treat it as a bona fide [Latin, In good faith.] Honest; genuine; actual; authentic; acting without the intention of defrauding. A bona fide purchaser is one who purchases property for a valuable consideration that is inducement for entering into a contract and without suspicion of being threat . . . I treated it as a symptom of depression.'' Campbell reported the remark to the court's executive officer, sheriff's officials and to District Attorney Michael D. Bradbury, who later spoke with Bradley about the incident. Bradley testified later that he told Bradbury his remark was ``stupid'' and that he never intended it as a threat against Dorothea, a court stenographer An individual who records court proceedings either in shorthand or through the use of a paper-punching device. A court stenographer is an officer of the court and is generally considered to be a state or public official. . Campbell also testified about the day Bradley came to work drunk, prompting him to be relieved of his duties and banned from the Hall of Justice. ``That appeared to be an example of such poor judgment,'' Campbell said, ``that it made me reassess the kind of things he was capable of . . . When he showed up intoxicated in·tox·i·cate v. in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing, in·tox·i·cates v.tr. 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol. 2. at work, I felt he was out of control.'' Yet after testifying for the state commission, Campbell also testified on behalf of Bradley, joining with Presiding Appellate Court A court having jurisdiction to review decisions of a trial-level or other lower court. An unsuccessful party in a lawsuit must file an appeal with an appellate court in order to have the decision reviewed. Justice Steven Stone and local attorney J. Roger Myers in recounting Bradley's sterling reputation as a jurist A judge or legal scholar; an individual who is versed or skilled in law. The term jurist is ordinarily applied to individuals who have gained respect and recognition by their writings on legal topics. jurist n. before his first DUI arrest a year ago. If Bradley can maintain his sobriety, they testified, they would have no problem with him serving as an appointed or private judge after his term as a Superior Court judge expires this month. ``He is, in my view, no threat to the judicial process whatsoever,'' Stone testified. The judicial commission is set to decide what sanctions, if any, should be imposed against Bradley. Possible punishments range from censure to banning Bradley from taking cases as an appointed judge. The commission is expected to issue its ruling in a few months. Bradley's problems began Dec. 6, 1987, when he was arrested near his home with a blood-alcohol level of 0.21 percent, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08. He was arrested again less than a month later near Santa Paula Santa Paula (săn`tə pôl`ə), city (1990 pop. 25,062), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Santa Clara River in a fertile valley that yields citrus fruits, avocados, vegetables, flowers, nursery products, and walnuts; laid out 1875, inc. , this time with a blood-alcohol level of 0.27 percent. Despite a promise to colleagues that he would ``carry a full workload and continue to fully discharge the duties of my office,'' he showed up for work drunk and was placed on administrative leave Jan. 13. Since then, he has continued to receive his $8,900-a-month state salary - even while he was in jail. HISTORY OF JURIST'S RUN-INS The following is a chronology of Superior Court Judge Robert Bradley's problems with the law: Dec. 6, 1997: Bradley is arrested near his home in the Ojai Valley with a blood-alcohol level of 0.21 percent, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08. Bradley steps down as presiding judge presiding judge n. 1) in both state and federal appeals court, the judge who chairs the panel of three or more judges during hearings and supervises the business of the court. , but remains on the bench. The Ventura County District Attorney's Office turns the case over to the state Attorney General's Office. Bradley seeks treatment for alcohol abuse. Jan. 3, 1998: Bradley is arrested near Santa Paula with a blood-alcohol level of 0.27 percent. Jan. 5: In a computer message to fellow judges and court administrators, Bradley apologizes and takes responsibility for his conduct. ``I also want you to know that I am at work today, will carry a full workload and continue to fully discharge the duties of my office,'' his note reads. Jan. 13: Bradley is placed on administrative leave from his $107,390-a-year job after appearing at the courthouse under the influence of alcohol. Feb. 24: Bradley pleads guilty to two DUI charges. He is fined $1,900 and sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years' probation. He also is ordered to abstain from abstain from verb refrain from, avoid, decline, give up, stop, refuse, cease, do without, shun, renounce, eschew, leave off, keep from, forgo, withhold from, forbear, desist from, deny yourself, kick ( alcohol for three years, to enroll in a multiple-offender DUI program and to install a device in his car that prevents it from starting if he has been drinking. March 20: The state Commission on Judicial Performance launches proceedings to disqualify To deprive of eligibility or render unfit; to disable or incapacitate. To be disqualified is to be stripped of legal capacity. A wife would be disqualified as a juror in her husband's trial for murder due to the nature of their relationship. Bradley from the bench, accusing him of dereliction of duty Dereliction of duty is a specific offense in military law. It includes various elements centered around the avoidance of any duty which may be properly expected. In the U.S. and of trying to influence police during his two DUI arrests. It also cites two previous occasions on which Bradley was stopped for drunk driving but was driven home by police. The panel can remove Bradley from office and bar him from accepting judicial assignments after his retirement. March 31: The state commission temporarily suspends Bradley. April 25: Bradley is arrested for violating probation after trying to enter his estranged wife's Ojai home while under the influence of alcohol. He is released on $3,000 bail. The judge is arrested again later that day on suspicion of violating a restraining order restraining order: see injunction. after he repeatedly calls his wife. He is jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail. April 28: Bradley posts bail and re-enters alcohol treatment. May 14: Bradley pleads guilty to violating probation, but not guilty to five counts of violating the restraining order. One day later, he is arrested on suspicion of violating probation after he is found - stumbling and reeking reek v. reeked, reek·ing, reeks v.intr. 1. To smoke, steam, or fume. 2. To be pervaded by something unpleasant: "This document ... of alcohol - on a Ventura street corner. He posts $5,000 bail and re-enters rehab. May 26 Bradley pleads guilty to violating probation, but not guilty to charges of public drunkenness and riding a bicycle while intoxicated. A month later, he is sentenced to six months in prison for his first DUI conviction; an additional 30 days for riding his bike while drunk; and fined $250. Aug. 4: Bradley is arrested in a Ventura motel, two weeks after walking away from an alcohol-treatment center in Arizona. Two days later, he pleads guilty to violating probation and is ordered to immediately begin serving the six-month sentence from the earlier conviction. Dec. 2: Bradley is released from jail and ordered to submit to daily alcohol testing until Dec. 12, when he is scheduled to enter an alcohol treatment facility. Dec. 7: The state Commission on Judicial Performance opens a hearing on Bradley's future. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO BRADLEY BOX: HISTORY OF JURIST'S RUN-INS (See text) |
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