Suspended Judge Enters Not Guilty Plea to Riding Bicycle While Intoxicated

Suspended Ventura County Judge Robert Bradley admitted through his attorney Tuesday that he violated his probation when police two weeks ago found him lying in the road by his bicycle, reeking of alcohol.

But Bradley’s attorney, Samuel Eaton of Santa Barbara, entered not guilty pleas to two other misdemeanor charges of public intoxication and riding a bicycle while drunk.

Bradley faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for the first charge and a maximum fine of $250 for the bicycle charge.

Moreover, the latest violation could result in revocation of his probation and a maximum 18-month jail sentence for two previous drunk driving convictions, according to the state attorney general’s office.

Bradley, who has been suspended from the Superior Court bench, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in both of the earlier cases. The terms of his probation prohibit him from drinking alcohol.

Bradley, 57, was not present at his arraignment Tuesday. His attorney said he left Friday for a treatment center in Prescott, Ariz., where Bradley is expected to remain for four to six months.

Santa Barbara Municipal Judge Denise de Bellefeuille will sentence Bradley on June 26 for the probation violation and a second probation violation from an earlier arrest. A pretrial conference will be held the same day on five misdemeanor counts Bradley is facing for allegedly violating an emergency protective order by contacting his estranged wife and the two counts stemming from an incident earlier this month.

Bradley has been arrested five times since Dec. 6. His most recent arrest occurred May 15 in east Ventura, about two miles from the sober-living house where he was staying.

Ventura Police Officer Nancy Moore spotted a man lying on the ground next to his bicycle at Johnson Drive and Crescent Street, authorities said.

When Moore stopped to make sure the man was all right she recognized him as the judge, and knew from his four highly publicized arrests that the terms of his probation forbade him to drink alcohol.

The arrest report was not made public, but Ventura Police Lt. Carl Handy said Moore described Bradley in the document as stumbling, smelling of alcohol and having bloodshot, watery eyes.

In an interview with The Times last week, Bradley said he began drinking after news reports revealed the details of a dispute he had with his wife in April.

He said he saw the movie “Titanic,” then stopped at a sports bar before trying to ride home.