The sentencing of a Temecula general contractor and Hells Angels member
convicted of criminal threats and a gang charge was postponed again Friday, Jan.
25, amid questions about the “mysterious disappearance” of his wife.
James A. Bradley, 49, who was accused of threatening to sic his fellow Hells Angels on subcontractors with whom he had payment disputes, was convicted by a jury in October. He faces three years, eight month in prison, but his sentencing has been postponed repeatedly. Last month, he was released from jail on bond with a GPS ankle bracelet so he could receive treatment for stroke-like symptoms.
Bradley was returned to custody Friday but his sentencing was delayed again during a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley after it was revealed that Bradley’s wife, Deanna Bradley, 40, disappeared on Tuesday.
In court, defense attorneys Christopher Hammett and Andrew Linehan said that Deanna Bradley hasn’t been seen or heard from since Tuesday and might have committed suicide. They said James Bradley was at a restaurant with their children Tuesday evening when Deanna Bradley left their home near Temecula without her purse. James Bradley has been searching for her ever since, Hammett said.
“He has no idea where she’s gone,” Hammett said.
Lt. Doug McGrew, of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, said one of James Bradley’s lawyers reported Deanna Bradley missing on Wednesday afternoon. About 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, she was recorded on surveillance cameras at her Chaparral Drive home leaving in a Dodge pickup, he said. She and her husband reportedly had quarreled over their finances shortly before she disappeared, McGrew said. James Bradley received a text message from her that evening suggesting she might be suicidal, sheriff’s officials said.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin McDonald said, so far, there is no evidence of foul play in Deanna Bradley’s disappearance.
It was revealed in court Friday that the defense and prosecution had been negotiating an agreement that would allow Bradley to avoid time in custody if he were to waive his right to appeal and agree to various probation terms, including staying away from Hells Angels.
But prosecutor Burke Strunsky said in court that he would not go along with the proposed agreement in light of the unexplained disappearance of Bradley’s wife.
Strunsky said they were considering the agreement because of a December decision from the California Supreme Court in another gang-related case – The People v. Jose Rodriguez Jr. That ruling might create problems with the gang conviction in the Bradley case on appeal, Strunsky said. Rodriguez, like Bradley, was convicted of committing a felony as a member of a criminal street gang. But the Supreme Court ruled that section of the penal code does not apply when a gang member acts alone in committing a felony.
Prosecutors had said securing the gang conviction against Bradley was important because prosecutors will be able to cite it in future cases involving the Hells Angels. They said the Bradley case was the first time in Riverside County that the Hells Angels had been legally defined as a criminal street gang.
Bradley’s attorneys on Friday argued strenuously that he should be allowed to remain out of jail on bond in light of the situation with his wife. The couple has two young sons.
Judge Albert Wojcik refused their request, reminding the defense that Bradley has been convicted of serious felonies.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about the plight of this defendant,” Wojcik said. “Now we’re hearing about the mysterious disappearance of his wife.”
“We’ve forgotten one big thing here. We’ve got two victims,” the judge said, referring to the subcontractors Bradley threatened.
The subcontractors testified during the trial that they lived in fear Bradley would harm them or their families.
There also were further revelations Friday about Bradley’s health. Court records say Bradley was admitted to the hospital in December after several weeks in jail. He suffered a “transient ischemic attack” — sometimes called a “mini stroke” — and left side weakness, court records say.
The defense said on Friday that Bradley’s medical issues continue. Linehan told the judge that Bradley has a tumor above his nasal passages that could have been causing stroke-like symptoms and that he was scheduled to receive an MRI.
“I’ve had 13 strokes since I’ve been out,” Bradley told the judge.
Bradley said his focus now is on his wife and making sure his sons are well cared for.
“I’m very concerned about my wife,” Bradley told the judge. “I don’t know where she’s at … I’m not making this up.”
“I’m hoping,” he said, “that she’s just had a breakdown somewhere.”
Deanna Bradley was last seen wearing a blue-gray Roxy brand track suit with black boots and a black jacket. She was driving a 2012 black Dodge Ram mega-cab pickup with “Jack Powell Dodge” paper plates, sheriff’s officials said.
Authorities ask that anyone with information on Deanna Bradley’s whereabouts call Investigator David Gorlicki at the sheriff’s Southwest Station, 951-696-3000.
Follow Sarah Burge on Twitter @sarahkburge or online at blog.pe.com/crime-blotter
James A. Bradley, 49, who was accused of threatening to sic his fellow Hells Angels on subcontractors with whom he had payment disputes, was convicted by a jury in October. He faces three years, eight month in prison, but his sentencing has been postponed repeatedly. Last month, he was released from jail on bond with a GPS ankle bracelet so he could receive treatment for stroke-like symptoms.
Bradley was returned to custody Friday but his sentencing was delayed again during a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley after it was revealed that Bradley’s wife, Deanna Bradley, 40, disappeared on Tuesday.
In court, defense attorneys Christopher Hammett and Andrew Linehan said that Deanna Bradley hasn’t been seen or heard from since Tuesday and might have committed suicide. They said James Bradley was at a restaurant with their children Tuesday evening when Deanna Bradley left their home near Temecula without her purse. James Bradley has been searching for her ever since, Hammett said.
“He has no idea where she’s gone,” Hammett said.
Lt. Doug McGrew, of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, said one of James Bradley’s lawyers reported Deanna Bradley missing on Wednesday afternoon. About 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, she was recorded on surveillance cameras at her Chaparral Drive home leaving in a Dodge pickup, he said. She and her husband reportedly had quarreled over their finances shortly before she disappeared, McGrew said. James Bradley received a text message from her that evening suggesting she might be suicidal, sheriff’s officials said.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin McDonald said, so far, there is no evidence of foul play in Deanna Bradley’s disappearance.
It was revealed in court Friday that the defense and prosecution had been negotiating an agreement that would allow Bradley to avoid time in custody if he were to waive his right to appeal and agree to various probation terms, including staying away from Hells Angels.
But prosecutor Burke Strunsky said in court that he would not go along with the proposed agreement in light of the unexplained disappearance of Bradley’s wife.
Strunsky said they were considering the agreement because of a December decision from the California Supreme Court in another gang-related case – The People v. Jose Rodriguez Jr. That ruling might create problems with the gang conviction in the Bradley case on appeal, Strunsky said. Rodriguez, like Bradley, was convicted of committing a felony as a member of a criminal street gang. But the Supreme Court ruled that section of the penal code does not apply when a gang member acts alone in committing a felony.
Prosecutors had said securing the gang conviction against Bradley was important because prosecutors will be able to cite it in future cases involving the Hells Angels. They said the Bradley case was the first time in Riverside County that the Hells Angels had been legally defined as a criminal street gang.
Bradley’s attorneys on Friday argued strenuously that he should be allowed to remain out of jail on bond in light of the situation with his wife. The couple has two young sons.
Judge Albert Wojcik refused their request, reminding the defense that Bradley has been convicted of serious felonies.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about the plight of this defendant,” Wojcik said. “Now we’re hearing about the mysterious disappearance of his wife.”
“We’ve forgotten one big thing here. We’ve got two victims,” the judge said, referring to the subcontractors Bradley threatened.
The subcontractors testified during the trial that they lived in fear Bradley would harm them or their families.
There also were further revelations Friday about Bradley’s health. Court records say Bradley was admitted to the hospital in December after several weeks in jail. He suffered a “transient ischemic attack” — sometimes called a “mini stroke” — and left side weakness, court records say.
The defense said on Friday that Bradley’s medical issues continue. Linehan told the judge that Bradley has a tumor above his nasal passages that could have been causing stroke-like symptoms and that he was scheduled to receive an MRI.
“I’ve had 13 strokes since I’ve been out,” Bradley told the judge.
Bradley said his focus now is on his wife and making sure his sons are well cared for.
“I’m very concerned about my wife,” Bradley told the judge. “I don’t know where she’s at … I’m not making this up.”
“I’m hoping,” he said, “that she’s just had a breakdown somewhere.”
Deanna Bradley was last seen wearing a blue-gray Roxy brand track suit with black boots and a black jacket. She was driving a 2012 black Dodge Ram mega-cab pickup with “Jack Powell Dodge” paper plates, sheriff’s officials said.
Authorities ask that anyone with information on Deanna Bradley’s whereabouts call Investigator David Gorlicki at the sheriff’s Southwest Station, 951-696-3000.
Follow Sarah Burge on Twitter @sarahkburge or online at blog.pe.com/crime-blotter
