Suspended Judge Begins Jail Term for Drinking

After admitting that he violated his probation this week by drinking, suspended Ventura County Judge Robert C. Bradley was ordered Thursday to immediately begin serving a six-month jail sentence.

Bradley, 57, whose drinking problem has landed him in jail six times in the last eight months, was also ordered to enter a six-month alcohol treatment program after finishing his jail term.

“I want to make it clear that everyone is interested in your recovery,” said Judge Denise de Bellefeuille after issuing her ruling in Santa Barbara Municipal Court. “You’re ill, very ill.”

Bradley, who was scheduled to be arraigned on the probation violation, quietly thanked de Bellefeuille before deputies took him into custody.

The judge, who has been temporarily removed from the Ventura County bench, could have faced additional jail time as a result of his probation violation. But prosecutors agreed to no further punishment if Bradley would begin serving his earlier sentence and admit himself to a supervised treatment program.