Judge Arrested on 2nd Drunk-Driving Charge

Despite recently entering an alcohol treatment program, Superior Court Judge Robert C. Bradley was arrested Saturday night on suspicion of drunk driving--his second such arrest in less than a month.

The former presiding judge of the county’s Superior Court, Bradley was arrested on the misdemeanor offense after he blew a tire near the intersection of Harvard Boulevard and Peck Road.

Santa Paula Police Officer John Velasco saw a vehicle with a flat tire make a U-turn near Peck Road about 8:45 p.m., said Sgt. Steve Carter. Velasco was ready to help change the vehicle’s tire until he noticed that the driver, Bradley, appeared drunk, Carter said.

The 56-year-old jurist was booked Saturday night at the Santa Paula Police Station and left about 11:30 with an unidentified friend. Bradley promised to appear for his arraignment, which Carter said is expected to be Jan. 30.

He was taken to Santa Paula Memorial Hospital to determine the amount of alcohol in his system. Santa Paula police would not say whether a breath, urine or blood test was administered, but a hospital nurse said Sunday that a blood test is always administered in such cases.

Bradley’s blood-alcohol level was not disclosed, pending a final analysis by the Sheriff’s Department crime lab, police said.

The judge was arrested under similar circumstances Dec. 6, after rolling through a stop sign near his Ojai home. A breath test taken at the Ventura County Jail revealed Bradley’s blood-alcohol level was 0.21--more than double the legal limit of 0.08.

Last month’s arrest prompted Bradley to step down from the trial of accused wife-killer Michael Dally--among Ventura County’s most sensational legal cases--and take a leave of absence. Soon after the arrest, friends say, the judge checked into a treatment program at an undisclosed facility. He recently left the program, friends say.

People who know Bradley describe him as a bright, conscientious and hard-working man who has struggled with alcoholism for more than a decade.

“Judge Bradley is still calling out for help,” said defense attorney James M. Farley, a friend of the judge. “Maybe he was let out of the [treatment] program a little too early. . . . We all have our demons to confront. The one he’s facing right now is alcohol.”

After his initial arrest, some legal experts said that Bradley had seriously hurt his chances to ascend to the Court of Appeal. The second arrest only raises more questions about Bradley’s professional future. Bradley’s current term to the elected office expires next January.

Pulling into the driveway of his Ojai home with a male companion Sunday afternoon, Bradley declined to comment on his arrests.

“This is not a good time,” Bradley said from the driver’s seat of a white Ford Explorer. “There’s nothing to say.”

While at home, Bradley, clad in blue jeans and a sweatshirt, loaded the car with a black suitcase and about a week’s worth of shirts on hangers.

If convicted of a second drunk-driving offense, Bradley would face stiff criminal penalties, said Ventura lawyer George Eskin, a former prosecutor and defense attorney who has known Bradley for almost three decades.

“The consequences of two convictions are more serious than the consequences of one,” he said. “Instead of a minimum 48 hours in jail, a person in this situation is looking at a minimum 30-day jail sentence.”

Twice-convicted drunk drivers must also wait longer before getting behind the wheel legally. One conviction usually means four months of suspended driving privileges. A second conviction can result in a one-year license suspension, Eskin said. The fine and fees imposed--usually about $1,500 in Ventura County--would remain the same for each offense.

Driving under the influence of alcohol becomes a felony charge only under certain circumstances, police said. If a driver has been convicted three times in the previous seven years for driving under the influence of alcohol, the fourth arrest yields a felony charge.

Santa Paula police said it is not unusual for people charged with a misdemeanor driving-under-the-influence charge to leave jail soon after they are arrested.

“If they are cooperative and take the test, we’ll have them out of here in half an hour,” Carter said. “. . . Bradley didn’t get any special treatment here.”

When he was arrested by the California Highway Patrol in December, Bradley was driven home by officers who said they were concerned for his safety within the jail. Some critics said the judge received special treatment because of his status.

Criminal cases involving judges tend to be handled by the state rather than the local district attorney’s office. Officials with the state attorney general’s office have already agreed to handle the judge’s first drunk-driving case.

If convicted of either or both charges, Bradley need not relinquish his career, fellow lawyers said. He will, however, likely face a review--and possible reprimand--from the state Commission on Judicial Review.

“In cases of alcoholism, the commission is more interested in therapeutic resolutions than punitive resolutions,” said attorney Eskin, who hired Bradley to the Ventura County district attorney’s office in 1969. “My expectation is that the commission will be interested in helping a judge--especially one with Judge Bradley’s qualifications--get well.”

He added: “Here you’ve got a respected judge who has served the community for 20 years or more. This certainly isn’t like stealing or a crime of violence. . . . This doesn’t affect his ability to be a judge--it’s not a reflection on his integrity. It’s like any other illness. And we know it’s treatable.”

Civil attorney Glen M. Reiser expressed a similar sentiment.

“Everyone wants to see Bob be successful and return to the bench,” Reiser said. “No one wants to see Judge Bradley removed from his position. . . . He’s a great human being. Anyone who has ever dealt with Judge Bradley respects his humanism and empathy for others. Now is an appropriate time for everyone to empathize with Judge Bradley.”

One friend said Bradley has struggled with alcohol abuse since the early 1980s. That’s when he checked himself into a rehabilitation treatment program for about a month when he was the chief criminal prosecutor in the district attorney’s office.

“Everyone here in the courthouse is rooting for this guy,” said the attorney. “He’s a very nice man, but he’s been fighting this for a long time.”

It is not uncommon for people who abuse alcohol to falter along the road to recovery, said Steven Chatoff, the executive director of Anacapa by the Sea--Steps, a residential treatment center for all forms of addiction and psychological disorders.

“The recidivism rate is very high--everyone knows that,” Chatoff said Sunday. “But the rate goes down significantly with thorough treatment. . . . It is not a quick fix. The first four weeks are basically spent defogging the person. It takes years to become clean and clear-minded so you can cope with life no matter what it brings without sabotaging things with alcohol.”

With treatment, between 50% and 75% of alcoholics are able to recover from what Chatoff called a “genetically predisposed biochemical imbalance.”

“It is a terminal disease and an equal opportunity killer,” Chatoff said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are or what race you are or, in this case, whether you’re well educated.”

In fact, he added, recovering from alcoholism can be particularly tough for intellectuals--people who are used to attacking problems with their smarts and willpower.

“People who have accomplished a great deal with their brain sometimes have a harder time with recovery,” he said. “Recovery is not an intellectual battle--it’s acknowledging you have a disease.”

Before stepping down from the Dally case, Bradley had served for two years as presiding judge of the Superior Court. The 15 Superior Court judges take the post on a rotating basis. Judge Charles W. Campbell Jr.--who took over the Dally case after Bradley stepped down--recently became the new presiding judge.

After his first arrest, Bradley effectively relinquished his duties as presiding judge to Campbell, who took over the administrative duties of the court.

During his 13-year tenure in Superior Court, Bradley has presided over family law, juvenile cases and criminal matters, including three capital murder trials.

A former prosecutor and private attorney, Bradley was appointed to the Superior Court in 1984 by Gov. George Deukmejian after serving a year on the Municipal Court bench. He was reelected to the same seat in 1986 and 1992.

Kate Folmar is a staff writer; Lisa Fernandez is a correspondent. Staff writer Daryl Kelley contributed to this story.