Ex-Dodger Milton Bradley sentenced to nearly 3 years in jail

A judge Tuesday sentenced former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley to nearly three years in county jail for continuous physical attacks and threats against his estranged wife, prosecutors said.

Bradley, 34, was found guilty by a jury last month on nine counts: four of spousal battery, two of criminal threats, one of assault with a deadly weapon, one of vandalism and one of brandishing a deadly weapon.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson sentenced Bradley to two years, eight months in county jail.

He must perform 400 total hours of community service after his release, half of which will include volunteering with a youth-based baseball league for underprivileged kids as well as one year of domestic violence counseling and, separately, a year of anger management, said Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.

Bradley and his wife have been married for five years and have two children together, city prosecutors said. They are separated, and Bradley’s wife has a restraining order against him.

The court also ordered Bradley to stay away from his estranged wife and her parents. He was placed on five years’ probation.

Bradley, who was born in Harbor City and was a star at Long Beach Poly High School, was traded by the Dodgers in 2005 after throwing a water bottle at fans and having an altercation with a reporter.

The charges against Bradley stemmed from five incidents investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department from 2011 to 2012. The incidents included physical assaults and threats against his wife at their San Fernando Valley home.

In August 2011, Los Angeles police said Bradley brandished a baseball bat, raising it above his head and menacing his wife with it.

Bradley allegedly threatened his wife with a knife in March 2012, and told her she would be dead “before you divorce me,” according to authorities.

Bradley also allegedly threw a cellphone at a television screen during an argument in August 2012. The argument escalated into a physical altercation, during which Bradley allegedly kicked his wife in the ribs while she was on the floor.

In November 2012, authorities said Bradley pushed his wife against a kitchen wall and choked her with both hands after she asked that he stop smoking marijuana in front of their children, prosecutors said.

Mateljan said prosecutors made their best efforts to get Bradley to undergo counseling early on, but when his violent behavior continued, they moved aggressively to prosecute him.

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