Bradley’s Alcoholism Blamed on Vietnam War

The alcoholism that destroyed Judge Robert Bradley’s career began 30 years ago when he turned to drink to cope with the horror and bloodshed of the Vietnam War, a psychiatrist told a panel reviewing misconduct charges against the jurist Tuesday.

Dr. Lloyd Moglen testified on the final day of Bradley’s hearing that the embattled 57-year-old judge suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Moglen told a three-judge panel that Bradley served 10 months in Vietnam in 1968-69, and nearly lost his life when his helicopter was shot down on a supply mission near the Cambodian border.

He said Bradley continues to suffer from terrifying memories, which often surface in a recurring nightmare in which he is forced to return for a second tour of duty.

“Eventually, the Viet Cong has surrounded him and he wakes up screaming,” the doctor testified. For years, he added, Bradley has coped with these nightmares by drinking.

“Alcohol numbs him,” Moglen said. “It blurs him. It stops all the thoughts and feelings.”

Bradley is the first Ventura County judge to face formal proceedings on charges of judicial misconduct. He is charged with nine counts, including two drunk-driving convictions, showing up to work under the influence of alcohol, failure to do his job and habitual use of alcohol while a judge.

The panel--Justice William A. Stone of Fresno, Justice Judith L. Haller of San Diego and Judge Richard L. Patsy of Contra Costa County--began hearing evidence Monday at the appellate court in Ventura. Depending on their findings, Bradley could face penalties ranging from private admonishment to removal from the bench.

His judicial seat was filled in the November election. But an official removal from office would bar Bradley from ever hearing cases again, even as a temporary judge. That is a potentially lucrative assignment that pays $397 a day and a position that Bradley has expressed interest in.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, Moglen told the panel that Bradley is being treated for his stress disorder and has a greater chance at recovery if he can work as a temporary judge.

“He’s a proud man,” the doctor testified. “One of the ways he knows who he is is by being a judge. To take that away from him is to take away a piece of who he is. I can’t think of anything more therapeutic than being on the bench for him.”

Moglen testified that he initially misdiagnosed Bradley. In September, a nurse who works with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder began a correspondence with Bradley, who was serving a six-month jail sentence for probation violations at the time. After hearing about the nurse’s work with Bradley, Moglen met with the judge and reached the conclusion that he was suffering from the disorder.

Moglen told the panel that Bradley did not volunteer details of his war experiences in previous therapy sessions because he was uncomfortable talking about it.

He said the judge also revealed that he was physically abused by an alcoholic father as a child.

Preceding the doctor’s testimony, two lawyers and a fellow judge testified that they never saw Bradley drink alcohol while on the bench. Moglen told the panel that that is consistent with his analysis.

“I think when Bob Bradley was at work, he was 110% involved,” Moglen said. “And then when he left work, his mind was no longer occupied and he did what he did in Vietnam. He’d drink.”

After Moglen, Bradley testified about his war experiences. He concluded by describing the effect he believes his conduct has had on the Ventura County bench.

“I’ve humiliated myself. I’ve been a humiliation to the court,” Bradley testified. “Sometimes I think I wouldn’t blame [my colleagues] if they didn’t want to talk to me again.”

Bradley joined the Army in 1967, working at the Pentagon. In October 1968, he was sent to Vietnam.

During the next 10 months, he said, he flew hundreds of helicopter missions to the front lines, supplying ammunition and weapons to the troops along the Cambodian border.

One time, he said, his helicopter was shot down with eight men aboard. Bradley scrambled out, firing a pistol as he went, and hid in a culvert.

When he wasn’t running weapons, Bradley said, he drank.

“There wasn’t a whole lot to do over there, play cards, drink, or at least I did,” he said.

On cross-examination, attorneys for the state Commission on Judicial Performance steered away from Bradley’s Vietnam experiences and refocused the case on his arrests and run-ins with the law.

Commission attorney Bill Smith asked him if he abused his authority by asking officers to drive him home rather than arrest him on two occasions. In one incident, he was found with three open pints of vodka in his car. Bradley said he could not remember if he asked to be driven home.

At the conclusion of the judge’s testimony, Smith argued that the evidence shows that Bradley demonstrated prejudicial misconduct and brought disrepute to the judiciary.

Additionally, he said, Bradley committed willful misconduct by twice driving under the influence of alcohol and showing up to work intoxicated. Willful misconduct is a more serious charge.

Bradley’s attorney, Thomas Brayton, acknowledged that his client committed prejudicial misconduct by coming to work drunk, driving drunk and violating the terms of his probation.

But he told the panel that there is no evidence of willful misconduct, which he defined as actions that are malicious or made in bad faith.

The lawyers have 20 days to submit written arguments to the panel. After that, the three judges have 60 days to submit their findings and recommendations to the commission, which is expected to hand down a ruling in the spring.